Vayu Robotics reveals first AI-powered delivery robot

Vayu Robotics has announced the release of what it describes as the world's first on-road delivery robot powered by artificial intelligence foundation models. This technology, aimed at reducing the cost of e-commerce deliveries, is being deployed in the United States in collaboration with a major e-commerce partner.

The company, based in California, aims to tackle the high cost of e-commerce deliveries by integrating modern AI models and low-cost sensing technologies, thereby eliminating the need for costly lidar sensors traditionally used in mobile robotics. According to the company, this autonomous robot can navigate without pre-mapping the roads, making it capable of operating inside stores, on city streets, and even on driveways or porches, while carrying packages up to 100 lbs at speeds under 20 mph.

Vayu Robotics was co-founded by Anand Gopalan, Mahesh Krishnamurthi, and Nitish Srivastava. Gopalan, who previously served as the CEO of Velodyne, a leading lidar supplier, along with Krishnamurthi and Srivastava, who have backgrounds at Apple and Lyft, has built a team of engineers with substantial experience in robotics and AI. Geoffrey Hinton, a prominent figure in artificial intelligence, is also an advisor to the company.

These founders realised that traditional robotics technology was too expensive and fragile for large-volume applications like delivery. They designed a new technology stack involving lower-cost hardware and more robust software. "The unique set of technologies we have developed at Vayu have allowed us to solve problems that have plagued delivery robots over the past decade, and finally create a solution that can actually be deployed at scale and enable the cheap transport of goods everywhere," said Anand Gopalan, Vayu Robotics' CEO.

The company has already signed a substantial commercial agreement to deploy 2,500 of its robots with a large e-commerce player, marking a significant step in its commercial operations. Additionally, Vayu is collaborating with a leading global robotics manufacturer to incorporate its sensing technology in other robotic applications.

Khosla Ventures, a venture capital firm that has backed Vayu Robotics, expressed its confidence in the company's technology and mission. "At Khosla Ventures, we believe in backing businesses where critical and differentiated technologies can unlock a large market. Vayu is a great example of this where they have deployed novel sensing and their AI foundation models to a robotic challenge that can have immense economic and societal impact," said Kanu Gulati, a partner at Khosla Ventures.

Since its establishment, Vayu has raised USD $12.7 million in a seed round to support its mission to overcome the hardware and software challenges that have hindered the growth of e-commerce. Gopalan believes that the company's low-cost robotics nervous system has the potential to power a new wave of mobile robots beyond just delivery robots. "Autonomous delivery robots are only the tip of the iceberg," Gopalan stated. He also noted that their software is adaptable across various robot forms, including wheeled, quadrupedal, and bipedal robots.

The deployment of Vayu's delivery robots is expected to provide a cost-effective, safe, and reliable solution for e-commerce companies looking to streamline their delivery processes. This could enable small businesses to offer efficient delivery services, potentially transforming the logistics landscape for e-commerce.