Small robots are now making food deliveries in Markham as part of a new pilot project launched by SkipTheDishes and Real Life Robotics, marking a high-tech shift in how takeout reaches local customers.
“It’s on the sustainability side and the cost side. We’re trying to make it more affordable for Canadian families to get fresh goods at home from Canadian companies,” said Sharif Virani, head of growth at Real Life Robotics. “Robot deliveries help us do that.”
The process is similar to any other online ordering system. Customers place their orders from their favourite restaurants on the mobile app, and if they’re in the designated range of two kilometres, they can select one of the four cooler-sized robot options.
“It helps them avoid the roads and obstacles. We have our robot guides that are always with the robots, monitoring that human-robot interaction,” said Virani.
Israruddin Attal, owner of Grande Burrito in Markham, is a fan, noting a sizeable increase in recent online orders.
“This is good for the business. We are getting nine to 10 orders daily, sometimes more than that,” Attal said. “Compared to before, Skip with the robot, we are getting [busier].”
Concerns grow that delivery robots could replace human couriers
Delivery robots have been banned from some major cities like Toronto, where it has been argued that they are a hazard for people with low mobility or vision, seniors, and children. In December 2021, the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee recommended banning food delivery robots like Tiny Mile’s pink, heart-eyed ones named Geoffrey, which some Toronto restaurants used to courier orders.
Cyclists already gripe about e-scooters in bike lanes and don’t want robots there either. There are also worries that autonomous robots or ones manned by staff overseas will take jobs away from couriers.
While the innovative program didn’t take off in Toronto, many in Markham believe the robot courier service has a chance to stick around for the long term.
“I would use it,” said one man CityNews interviewed in Markham on Thursday. “I think it cuts down on the labour costs and makes things a lot easier for the restaurants. Especially if you put food on this thing and make it go.”
Another Markham resident called the robots an effective tool.
“It would be better to grab the food from it and have no contact [with anyone].”
Markham is currently the only Canadian city running the pilot project, which will be active for 90 days. Once it concludes, officials will examine the effectiveness of the robot delivery courier and see if it could expand elsewhere.
