Vayu delivery bots hit the road

Company says that its robot does not need Lidar and will 'slash' delivery costs
By David Arminas August 9, 2024 Read time: 2 mins
Vayu’s robot combines a transformer-based mobility foundation model with a powerful passive sensor (image: Vayu)

Vayu Robotics has released what it says is the “world’s first” on-road delivery robot that combines artificial intelligence with low-cost non-Lidar passive sensors.

The company says that its Delivery Robot will “slash” the cost of e-commerce deliveries. Vayu says that “this model is the first-of-its-kind, offering the most cost-effective, safe, reliable delivery system on the market".

Vayu’s robot combines a transformer-based mobility foundation model with a powerful passive sensor that, together, eliminate the need for Lidar. As a result, Vayu’s Delivery Robot operates autonomously without pre-mapping the roads upon which it intends to drive. It is also capable of navigating inside stores, on city streets and unloading packages on driveways or porches, carrying up to 100lbs at under 20mph.

The technologies employed by the robot has allowed Vayu to solve problems that have plagued delivery robots over the past decade, suggests co-founder Anand Gopalan, former chief executive of Lidar supplier Velodyne. Vayu says its Delivery Robots are already being debuted in real-world applications.

The company recently signed what it says is “a substantial commercial agreement” with “a large e-commerce player” to deploy 2,500 robots to enable ultra-fast goods delivery. Similar commercial deals are in the pipeline. Vayu is also working with a leading global robotics manufacturer to replace Lidar sensors with Vayu’s sensing technology for other robotic applications.

“In the near future, Vayu's software technology will enable the movement of quadrupedal and bipedal robots, allowing us to expand into those markets as well,” said Gopalan.

Vayu is financially backed by Khosla Ventures and Lockheed Martin Ventures.  

Detection, Monitoring & Machine Vision GIS/ Mapping & Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Shock therapy: jolt for EV charging needed
    October 2, 2018
    As sales of electric vehicles accelerate, the growth of charging infrastructure is in need of a big boost. Graham Anderson reports on whether Europe is up to it. Utilities, technology companies and vehicle manufacturers are battling to put in place new charging networks for electric vehicles (EVs) across Europe in response to a predicted dramatic surge in demand. Market experts believe that rapidly falling battery costs – which make up about one third of the costs of an electric car – and growing
    Read More
  • Autonomous vehicles are everywhere says report
    March 20, 2015
    A new IDTechEx report, Autonomous Vehicles: Land, Water, Air 2015-2035 claims autonomous vehicles are successful here and now but you are unlikely to meet one because the successes are in the upper atmosphere, open cast mines, nuclear power stations, underwater and in other relatively inaccessible places. It goes on to explains that the primary technology of an autonomous vehicle is that which confers autonomy and the powertrain, which is usually electric. The powertrain and navigation and control technolo
    Read More
  • MG Squared expands its global footprint
    September 7, 2014
    MG Squared debuted the first lowering device designed for surveillance cameras at the ITS World Congress back in 1996. Fast forward to this ITS World Congress 2014 and the company has substantially increased its global footprint. With tens of thousands of its innovative lowering devices installed worldwide, MG Squared’s Martin Maners is convinced they are still at the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Maners notes, “reports indicate the US$20 billion global surveillance market will grow at a CAGR of around 1
    Read More
  • Plastic is fantastic for payment platform interoperability
    April 2, 2014
    The Sino Visitor Pass aims to promote trade between Singapore and China by making travel easier, as Jon Masters finds out. Singapore has notched up another first in transportation innovation with announcement of a dual-currency payment card in partnership with the province of Guangdong in China. From the middle of 2014, visitors to Singapore and Guangdong will be able to use a ‘Sino Visitor Pass’ to pay for use of public transportation among other things.
    Read More

Highlighted Content