Kiwibot Acquires Auto Mobility Solutions
Autonomous Retail Collective launches, Waymo + Uber Eats, Canadian foodtech funding
It’s a big week for partnerships, with food automation companies snapping up vital suppliers, forming new alliances, and securing important new funding. But before you read on, do check out this sizzle reel highlighting all the fun we had a few days ago at Curbivore 2024!
Kiwibot Acquires Auto Mobility Solutions
Delivery robotics player Kiwibot is deepening its tech stack with the acquisition of AUTO Mobility Solutions. AUTO is a Taiwan-based chip designer that specializes in hardware for autonomous machines. Other AUTO clients include startups in the tray robotics and hospitality automation sectors.
Robomart, PIX Moving Create Autonomous Retail Collective
In a bid to accelerate the creation of autonomous retail-oriented vehicles, startups and legacy corporations alike are banding together to create a new consortium. Dubbed the Autonomous Retail Collective, the group includes Robomart for shopping platform duties, PIX Moving for vehicle manufacturing, Whale Dynamic for the AV software, Avery Dennison for RFIDs, Helimec for hardware and Zeeba for fleet management.
Waymo Launches AV Delivery in Phoenix
Waymo, the autonomous vehicle player backed by Alphabet, is getting into the food delivery business, thanks to a partnership with Uber Eats. The two companies are launching in the Phoenix metro area, covering a 225+ square miles service area. Given that merchants need to make operational changes to work with the service, there are only a handful of restaurants participating in the launch, including Princess Pita, Filiberto's, and Bosa Donuts. Uber how has six other AV partners: Serve Robotics and Motional in West Hollywood and Santa Monica, CA; Cartken in Miami, Fairfax, and Tokyo; Nuro in Mountain View; a mobility-only partnership with Motional in Las Vegas; and a freight partnership with Aurora in Texas.
Feds Fund Food Robotics, Eh
The Canadian federal government is getting into the food automation and agtech game, with a pledge of $5 million CAD to address labor challenges. The winners are:
Exonetik Inc. - Developing a low-cost, collaborative robot to help automate tasks
E.O.I Technologies Inc. - Developing sensors to collect data on fast moving conveyor systems
Exonetik Inc. – Developing a robotic arm to work alongside humans to harvest fruits and vegetables (two wins for them, what a team!)
Mycionics Inc. – Developing a robotic mushroom harvester, packer and harvester lift
Kinova Inc. – Developing a robotic arm to pick, harvest and de-leaf cucumbers and strawberries
In Other News
Understanding Amazon’s Just Walk Out rethink. BIB Technologies partners with CryoX. Check out how much fun the delivery bots had at Curbivore.
