Marrakech – On Tuesday, February 20th, Uber made headlines with the announcement of its collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric and delivery robotics firm Cartken.

 

This business partnership aims to pioneer the use of self-driving robots for food delivery in Japan through its Uber Eats business.

 

Under the project, Cartken’s Model-C robots will navigate Tokyo’s busy streets and sidewalks delivering food to hungry customers. 

 

Mitsubishi Electric will be in charge of overseeing these activities, completing a strategic alliance with the goal of revolutionizing the delivery landscape.

 

According to the companies, sidewalk robot deliveries will begin by the end of March, with a focus on particular regions within Tokyo.

 

Uber Eats has picked Japan as the inaugural international hub for its autonomous delivery services, marking this milestone deployment as a significant turning point in the company’s global agenda.

 

Speaking to CNBC, Anjali Jindal Naik, co-founder and COO of Cartken, emphasized that, “This collaboration signifies a leap forward in redefining the future of food delivery, making it more accessible and sustainable to consumers in Japan.

 

As reported by Business Today, this partnership isn’t just about serving up pizzas and ramen with a futuristic twist; it’s also geared towards solving today’s challenges like labor shortages and finding greener, more efficient delivery methods.

 

Until today, Uber Eats’ self-driving delivery services have mostly been restricted to a few US locations.

 

Japan is poised to be the first international market to have autonomous delivery available on the Uber Eats platform.

 

Although this Uber Eats robot is new, Japan has a long history of using robot assistants into its hospitality sector.

 

In fact, several well-known restaurant chains have been using robot servers for years, highlighting the country’s willingness to adopt cutting-edge developments in service delivery.