iFood will start testing delivery robots in Brazil in 2020

The goal with the robots is to help drivers and reduce the waiting time for customers

30.Oct.2019 11:48 BRT
UPDATED 27.Jan.2020 19:00 BRT

The robots will be used to get the food inside shopping centers and carry it to the driver
The goal is that the robots could help to reduce the time that drivers lose until get the food inside malls and go back to the vehicle
iFood will start testing the robots in January in two shopping centers located in the cities of Campinas and Rio de Janeiro

In order to reduce the waiting time, delivery robots will be tested in Brazil by the food delivery brand iFood in 2020, according to the Brazilian media outlet Folha de S. Paulo. The goal isn’t to reduce the number of drivers, but help them to overcame barriers that increase the delivery time, such as to stop the vehicle and enter into malls to wait and get the food before going to the customer address.

The robot, produced by the Brazilian company Synkar, will be capable to carry until 30 kilos and will only be used at specific places, such as shopping centers, to help the driver at the beginning or end of the process. The machine will be able to go to the restaurant inside the shopping and drive the food until the driver outside the building.

The expectation is that it could reduce the time needed to get the food at this kind of place and make the process more dynamic for drivers.

The first robots will be ready in January when iFood plans start testing it, and the first mall operator to announce a partnership with the app on this project was Aliansce Sonae and two shopping centers owned by the brand will be prepared to the tests in Campinas and Rio de Janeiro.