Food Delivery Robots Coming to Fremont

The robot, named "Dot," is an in-house project from DoorDash's robotics and automation arm, DoorDash Labs. It was manufactured locally in Fremont in partnership with advanced manufacturer Sonic Manufacturing, highlighting the city's role as a testbed for innovation. The deployment will be phased, starting with an initial fleet of three robots closely monitored by human operators. If the initial phase is successful, the program will expand to as many as 30 robots operating under remote monitoring. The city has the ability to pause or revoke the permit if any safety or compliance issues arise. Dot is an all-electric vehicle designed to carry approximately 30 pounds of food per trip. It navigates using a combination of lidar, radar, and cameras, and will operate at controlled speeds: up to 5 mph on sidewalks, 16 mph in bike lanes, and 20 mph on neighborhood streets. The public will first see the robots during Fremont's Restaurant Week, from March 6 to 15, with the inaugural delivery scheduled for March 5 at a kickoff event. The initial service areas will include the Downtown, City Center, Centerville, and Irvington districts, covering major corridors like Fremont Boulevard and Paseo Padre Parkway. This isn't Fremont's first foray into autonomous technology. In 2020, the city partnered with Pony.ai to pilot an autonomous vehicle commuter program for city employees, using self-driving cars to shuttle them from the Amtrak station to City Hall. This earlier initiative was part of Fremont's broader plan to reduce single-occupancy vehicle commutes.