Delivery robot startup Robot.com is betting its next act on workplace humanoids - Business Insider

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The latest news and analysis on robotics, from humanoid AI to real-world automation.

The latest news and analysis on robotics, from humanoid AI to real-world automation.

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Delivery robot startup Robot.com is betting its next act on workplace humanoids

By Lloyd Lee Lloyd Lee is a reporter based in San Francisco, CA.His coverage includes autonomous driving, EVs, and the latest trends in Silicon Valley and Big Tech.Previously, he was a reporter for Almanac News and Palo Alto Weekly, covering housing, business, and Silicon Valley.Reach Lloyd at lloydlee@businessinsider.com or on Signal at lloydlee.07.Relevant and popular stories:Rivian CEO shrugs off Trump's rollback of EV incentivesI rode a Waymo with my 6-year-old twins. The experience was fun but the use cases feel limited.Friends and former colleagues recall OpenAI whistleblower as 'one of the true geniuses'Rivian's head of software says the company is not trying to be like Tesla on automationAn ex-Tesla owner shares why his experience with a Rivian R1T during Hurricane Helene made him a convertA The San Francisco-based startup, formerly known as Kiwibot, told Business Insider it will launch R-noid, a humanoid robot on wheels that can package orders, load and unload boxes, and prep workstations. The startup is working with Physical Intelligence, one of its AI lab partners, to develop custom foundation models for R-noid.

CEO Felipe Chavez said in an interview that the robot is part of a nearly two-year-long process to expand beyond campus-delivery robots and into commercial labor automation across multiple industries, from food service to logistics and healthcare.

"We already have a foot in the door with our delivery robots," he said. "It made sense to also offer manipulation solutions."