Robot features precision engineering, robust safety mechanisms, and adaptive mobility.
A parcel delivery platform based in the U.S. has partnered with a robotics leader to improve e-commerce delivery experience and efficiency. The plan is to use robots to deliver parcels.
Veho has started using the RIVR’s robots to deliver parcels in Austin. Based upon the learnings from the initial trial, the plan is to expand the delivery to additional markets later this year.
Veho assured that the robots won’t replace human delivery drivers, instead, these innovations are intended to enable humans to deliver more parcels, faster, with less physical strain. Robots can also help maintain a superior delivery experience.
The company highlighted that while a human driver completes one drop-off, the wheeled-legged robot will deliver another, navigating from the delivery vehicle all the way to the customer’s doorstep, placing parcels according to customer’s instructions, while leveraging the Veho app to send a photo of each successful delivery.
“Over nine years, Veho has proven that a delivery platform and technology built for e-commerce produces better delivery experiences and economics for consumers and brands. This partnership is an exciting next step in reinventing e-commerce delivery and enabling brands to turn shipping from a cost center to a value driver,” said Veho co-founder and CEO Itamar Zur.
Veho also revealed that during the trial, a RIVR employee will accompany the robot to ensure safety and delivery quality, while Veho and RIVR team members monitor the robot to learn how it performs during real-life deliveries.
Wheeled-legged design combined with physical AI
“With the exponential rise in e-commerce, the last mile has become the most critical—and complex—link in the logistics chain. At RIVR, our mission is to put one million delivery robots into the field, leveraging General Physical AI to scale urban robotics to where it’s needed most,” said Marko Bjelonic, CEO of RIVR.
RIVR has claimed that it solved the last 100-yard challenge with the combination of its wheeled-legged design and physical AI, which enables the robot to navigate real-world obstacles like stairs, gates, and uneven terrain—all the way to the consumer’s doorstep.
Unlike sidewalk robots, which are limited to curbside, attended deliveries with low throughput, RIVR’s robot operates in parallel with human drivers and at a speed that makes dense, multi-drop delivery commercially viable. And while drones offer reach in rural areas, RIVR is purpose-built for the complexity and scale of urban logistics—bringing automation to the final few meters of every delivery, according to a press release.
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Built for reliability, RIVR claims that its robot features precision engineering, robust safety mechanisms, and adaptive mobility to navigate complex urban landscapes.
“Our partnership with Veho is a major milestone on that journey to bring our technology to the U.S. As a leading parcel delivery platform in the U.S., Veho offers the ideal environment for deploying at scale—helping us deliver not just faster and more cost-effective service, but a smarter, more human-centered model for robotics in logistics,” said Bjelonic.
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