DoorDash Debuts Dot, Its First Autonomous Delivery Robot for Local Routes

• Dot is a compact, all-electric delivery robot developed in-house by DoorDash to travel on bike lanes, roads, and sidewalks.
• It will pilot in Arizona and integrate into DoorDash’s Autonomous Delivery Platform for smarter routing and order fulfillment.

DoorDash has launched Dot, a purpose-built autonomous delivery robot developed entirely in-house by DoorDash Labs to handle local deliveries across bike lanes, sidewalks, roads, and driveways. Roughly one-tenth the size of a car, it reaches speeds up to 20 mph and is engineered for safety, low emissions, and agile movement.

“You don’t always need a full-sized car to deliver a tube of toothpaste or pack of diapers. That’s the insight behind Dot,” said Stanley Tang, Co-Founder and Head of DoorDash Labs, in a news release. "The breakthrough wasn't just making it autonomous, but in making it reliable and efficient to serve the needs of local businesses and consumers. Dot is purpose-built for the millions of deliveries we facilitate every day. It is small enough to navigate doorways and driveways, fast enough to maintain food quality, and smart enough to optimize the best routes for delivery. Every design decision, from its compact size to its speed to the sensor suite, came from analyzing billions of deliveries on our global platform and understanding what actually moves the needle for merchants and consumers."

The pilot will launch in Tempe and Mesa, Arizona, through an early access program. Dot will be used for short, local trips, helping merchants fulfill more orders quickly and reliably. DoorDash says that by taking on these smaller deliveries, Dot will allow human Dashers to focus on higher-value tasks that require personal judgment or more complex handling.

DoorDash is also launching its Autonomous Delivery Platform, an AI-powered dispatcher that coordinates multiple delivery methods across its network. Whether routing an order to a Dasher, a drone, a sidewalk robot, or Dot, the platform evaluates options in real time based on speed, cost, location, and service quality. This multimodal system ensures each delivery is fulfilled by the most effective method, supporting greater efficiency and scale.

🌀 Tom’s Take:

This debut shows DoorDash reimagining food delivery with AI. By building Dot and the system in-house, every piece can be bespoke to its platform and tightly integrated into its workflows.

Source: DoorDash