Hide Transcript Show Transcript

IT IT WILL BE A ROBOT INSTEAD. , THIS IS THE KIWIBOT. DRIVING AT AN AVERAGE TWO MILES AN HOUR, THESE FOOD DELIVERY ROBOTS ARE COMING SOON TO SACRAMENTO SIDEWALKS. >> CAN I GET A BIG MAC? MARLEI: THE ROBOTS OUTFITTED WITH CAMERAS AND PREPROGRAMED WITH ROUTES. >> THEY’LL CROSS ONLY AT CROSSWALKS. THEY’RE NOT GOING TO CROSS, THEY’RE NOT GOING TO JAYWALK FOR INSTANCE. THEY LITERALLY FOLLOW EVERY RULE THAT WE GIVE ’EM TO FOLLOW. MARLEI: THE CITY PLANS TO TEST 30 ROBOTS AS PART OF A PILOT PROJECT WITH THE COMPANY KIWI CAMPUS. >> IF YOU LOOK AT CLIMATE CHANGE, THESE ROBOTS ALL OF A SUDDEN TAKE CARS OFF THE ROAD. MARLEI: THE CITY HOPES THE ROBOTS WILL HELP THE ENVIRONMENT, REDUCE NOISE, AND GENERATE JOBS. THEY SAY PEOPLE ARE NEEDED FOR MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE. >> THE ROBOTS GO OFF AND DO THEIR THING AND THEN COME BACK AND MEET THE HUMAN. THEY GET PUT BACK AND RELOADED AND DISTRIBUTED AROUND THE CITY AS NEEDED. MARLEI: AN IDEA JAYLA HENDERSON IS EXCITED BY. >> OH MY GOSH. THOSE ARE -- OK. OK THEY’RE KIND OF CUTE. , BUT OH MY GOSH. MARLEI: BUT SHE ALSO HAS A LOT OF QUESTIONS. >> STAIRS. WHAT IF THEY DELIVER IT TO THE WRONG SPOT THOUGH? WHAT IF IT GETS HIT BY A CAR? WHAT IF SOMEBODY DOES TAKE THE ROBOT? I MEAN, THEY CAN’T CONTROL IT. MARLEI: ALL TOPICS THAT THE CITY SAYS THEY’LL ANALYZE DURING THE 12-MONTH TEST RU >> ONLY AT TWO MILES AN HOUR SO SOMEBODY COULD KEEP MESSING WITH IT. BUT IT WOULD GO TO A RELAY POINT WHERE IT MEETS THE HUMAN THAT’S ASSOCIATED WITH THAT ROBOT SO WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING. MARLEI: SOME FOLKS SAY THEY’D DEFINITELY TRY IT OUT. >> OH MY GOODNESS. THAT’S A GOOD IDE MARLEI: BUT OTHERS WHO HAVE JUMPED ON BOARD WITH OTHER IDE SAY THEY NEED TO SEE THE ROBOTS FIRST. >> I’LL TRY SOMETHING, BUT MY FOOD IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT. [LAUGHTER] MARLEI: A LOCAL RESTAURA MANAGER AGREES. >> IT’S REALLY INNOVATIVE. AT THE SAME TIME, IT’S ALSO LITTLE SCARY CAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW LIKE IF THIS ROBOT IS GOING TO HAVE ANY SORT OF MALFUNCTION OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. MARLEI: DESPITE THE INITIAL HESITATION, MOST FOLKS SAY THEY’RE INTRIGUED BY THE INNOVATION. >> I WOULD PROBABLY TRY IT OUT ONCE. I’M A MILLENNI

Advertisement Food delivery robots to arrive in Sacramento: What you need to know Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The city of Sacramento announced Tuesday it plans to bring food delivery robots to town as part of a pilot program with company Kiwi Campus, Inc. The service works much like other food delivery companies, such as DoorDash, Grubhub and Postmates. But, instead of a person delivering the food, a robot drops it off instead. Here are five things to know about the incoming robots:1) How do the robots work?The four-wheeled robots, called "Kiwibots," travel at an average of two miles an hour, according to Sacramento’s Chief Innovation Officer Louis Stewart. They are outfitted with cameras, GPS and pre-programmed routes. “They recognize the stop hand. They recognize the walk signal. So, they’ll cross only at crosswalks,” Stewart said. “They’re not going to J-walk for instance. They literally follow every rule that we give them to follow.”2) Where will the robots operate?The pilot program will initially launch in Midtown Sacramento, Stewart said. The city has not set exact boundaries yet because the mapping process will be included with the pilot program. Stewart said the robots will mainly drive on sidewalks wide enough to accommodate them.3) How will the robots navigate difficult terrain, like stairs?People will help the robots in tough spots. According to Stewart, the program will generate jobs needed for service, maintenance and distribution.“The robots go off and do their thing and then come back and meet the human,” he said. “They get put back and reloaded and distributed around the city as needed.”4) How secure are the robots?Considering the robots travel at an average of two miles an hour, people in Sacramento questioned how secure they are, asking for instance: What if someone tries to steal them? Stewart said that is a topic they will analyze during the pilot program. “Only at two miles an hour, so somebody could keep messing with it,” he said. “But, it would go to a relay point where it meets the human that’s associated with that robot so we can figure out what’s happening.”Stewart also said the food remains locked inside until customers unlock the robot with a barcode on their app.5) When are the robots coming to Sacramento?The city plans to roll out 30 robots in September or October. The test run is expected to last 6 to 12 months. City staff hope the robots will help the environment, reduce traffic congestion, reduce noise and generate jobs.