Thousands of delivery robots are being deployed for Uber Eats

Your next meal could be hand-delivered by a robot.

Food delivery service Uber Eats is partnering with Serve Robotics, an autonomous delivery startup, to deploy up to 2,000 of the latter's robots in multiple markets across the United States.

This is an expansion of the partnership between Uber and Serve, who collaborated in a pilot in West Hollywood a year ago. Uber robot deliveries via Serve increased by over 30 percent month-over-month, with over 200 participating restaurants in Los Angeles.

Dr. Ali Kashani, co-founder and CEO of Serve Robotics, said they are "thrilled" to be expanding their partnership with Uber.

"This partnership is a major step towards mass commercialization of robotics for autonomous delivery, and it is a testament to the success of our partnership," said Dr. Kashani in a statement. "We are excited to continue our work with Uber to bring this innovative technology to more cities across the country."

Serve says its sidewalk robots are capable of Level 4 autonomy, which is described by the Society of Automobile Engineers as being able to handle all aspects of driving without human intervention, in certain conditions. According to Tech Crunch, the robots can "reroute" if they encounter obstruction, and can also avoid collision with drivers.

The startup has also piloted programs with Walmart in Arkansas and Pizza Hut in Vancouver. Since 2021, Serve has worked with 7-Eleven on robotic sidewalk delivery in LA, too.