FAA Okays Dueling Drones in Dallas
FAA Okays Dueling Drones in Dallas
Delivers.AI hits $36M valuation, Kernel reboots menu, Taco Bell expands Voice AI
This week we’ve got a long awaited regulatory development out of the FAA, plus new funding news, updated menus, the expansion of voice-powered AI, and more. Read on!
Zipline & Wing Score FAA Approval
In a first for American drone operators, the Federal Aviation Administration has authorized multiple companies to operate without visual observers in the same airspace. The authorization applies to Zipline International and Alphabet-backed Wing Aviation, allowing them to both make deliveries in the Dallas region. The drones will use Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) technology to operate beyond the visual line of sight, flying below 400 feet and away from crewed aircraft.
Delivers.AI Raises New Round
European delivery robotics player Delivers.AI just closed on a fresh round of financing, with backing coming from Japan Post Capital, Turkey Development Fund, Impetus Capital and Istanbul Technical University. While the exact amount of new funding is undisclosed, Delivers.AI reports it's achieved a $36 million valuation, and the company has now raised $4 million in total.
Kernel Reboots Menu
Steve Ells’ robo-restaurant Kernel has been making a lot of changes lately. Fresh off an overhaul of its dining room and the addition of delivery services, the NYC-based brand has now added meat to its menu. (Cue Lord of the Rings reference…) While Ells, the founder and former CEO of Chipotle, has always been known as an advocate for a meat-light diet, evidently NYC lunch warriors were hungrier for chicken, eggs and dairy than initially expected.
Yum! Brands Expands Use of AI for Drive-Thrus
Fast food behemoth Yum! Brands is making a big push into AI, as it expands the use of “Voice AI” technology to hundreds of stores by the end of 2024. Currently the system, which ties in to Yum’s proprietary Poseidon POS, is in use at 100 Taco Bells across the United States. With two years of testing now complete, the system will be rolled out to Taco Bell franchises across the country, as well as five KFCs in Australia.
In Other News
Chef Robotics shares more footage of its autonomous food prep hardware. Agrovision raises $100M at $1B valuation. Hacked Tesla FSD computers show serious flaws with Autopilot. Lab grown meat industry retrenches. AI-powered robots with lasers challenge herbicides in the fields. Aurora Innovation raises $483 million.