The first food delivery robots in the UAE have arrived on the streets of Dubai Silicon Oasis, serving around 300 homes in a specific residential district. This is part of a Talabat, Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, and Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority three-month pilot, which aims to improve delivery options. 

The seven “talabot” robots, which completed a successful trial during Expo 2020 Dubai, collect food from Starbucks, Oregeno, and Lebanese restaurant On the Wood at Cedre Villas community center, and deliver orders via the Talabat app in as little as 15 minutes. 

The robots will only operate within a 4.8km radius of the restaurants but share road space with other traffic. 

According to Dr. Juma Al Matrooshi, the Director-General of DSO, piloting carbon-neutral delivery robots is a part of DSO’s Smart City Strategy, specifically its smart mobility pillar. The trial will occur in a monitored and controlled environment within the hi-tech park. Its success will contribute to DSO’s role as an innovation and knowledge hub under the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.

Ahmed Bahrozyan, the CEO of the Licensing Agency at the RTA, expressed the authority’s interest in expanding partnerships with the private sector and promoting innovation in the transportation sector.

Customers can collect their orders by opening the robot using a unique access code. The project was launched as part of the RTA’s Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport. 

If the pilot is successful, the service could be expanded to contribute to Dubai’s goal of having one in four road trips autonomous by 2030. The robots are fitted with inbuilt sensors and algorithms that detect obstacles in their path.