Singapore superapp Grab is set to pilot a robot runner service from several restaurants at the Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ) mall in Singapore.
The autonomous delivery robots will collect orders from the restaurants for pick by Grab’s delivery-partners at a central collection point for onward home delivery. The service will allow the Grab delivery-partners to shave off between five to 15 minutes between deliveries, the soon-to-be public company said in a statement.
Grab designed the robot in partnership with Techmetics Robotics, a US firm that provides robotics services for healthcare, assisted living, and hospitality use, among others.
During its pilot phase, the robot will serve up to 35 GrabFood and GrabMart merchants in PLQ and accommodate over 250 orders a day.
The pilot is expected to last for a month, after which Grab will review its performance and viability before rolling out the service to other locations.
“We are working towards a longer-term collaboration with Grab to meet the demands of customers and improve shopping experiences,” said PLQ general manager Audrey Balakrishnan.
