Segway Robotics and DriveU.auto Announce Partnership to Accelerate Deployment of Last Mile Delivery Robots

Segway-Ninebot, a leading global enterprise in the fields of intelligent short-distance transportation and service robots, and DriveU.auto, developer of a software-based connectivity platform for robots and autonomous vehicle teleoperation, announced their partnership, under which the DriveU.auto remote operation platform will be integrated into Segway’s robot platform, thereby creating a first-of-its-kind unique joint offering for the booming last mile delivery robots market. Segway Robotics is the service robots brand under the Segway-Ninebot group.

The use of robots for last mile delivery has been fast growing in the US, Asia and Europe. According to Allied Market Research, the global delivery robot market was valued at $3.53 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $30.05 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 24.5% from 2021 to 2030. With its field-proven robotic platform already deployed operationally, Segway Robotics is poised to capture the lionshare of this market.

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The smaller form factor, electrically powered and slower moving robot is ideal for rapid, cost-efficient, safe and green deliveries within dense urban areas. Such robots can be fully autonomous, semi-autonomous or remotely driven by a human operator. Whatever the operational model of delivery robots, having a human in the loop is imperative — whether for supervision, assisting the autonomous robot in edge cases, or to fully operate the delivery. The DriveU.auto connectivity platform provides the high quality, low latency connectivity required for safe teleoperation in all of these cases.

Remote operations rely on public cellular networks to transmit the communication between the moving robot and the remote operator. Cellular networks can be highly unstable and unpredictable; Therefore, for remote operations to be safe and effective, consistent high quality video connectivity with low latency is required. When connectivity isn’t stable, video quality suffers and latency increases, which is simply unacceptable for teleoperation.

DriveU.auto’s software-based connectivity platform supports both cloud and hybrid architecture, allowing it to support large scale robot deployments. It is already in commercial use on sidewalks in the US and Europe.

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The parties also announced that their joint offering is already in advanced deployment stages with customers in the last mile delivery space.

“We see delivery robots as a massive growth opportunity for Segway Robotics,” said Tony Ho, Vice President of Segway Robotics. “We are happy to join forces with DriveU.auto, creating a compelling joint offering of the market’s ‘best of breed’ robotic platform and remote operations in a single fully integrated package, to enable rapid deployment by last mile delivery companies around the globe.”

“Partnering with Segway Robotics is an important milestone for DriveU.auto as we continue our expansion into the delivery robot space,” said Alon Podhurst, CEO of DriveU.auto. “Segway Robotics and DriveU.auto’s joint offering is a compelling integrated product for last mile delivery companies who wish to rapidly deploy services.”

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