Pepsi Snackbot (drone)

2018: Beginning of use

In early January 2019, Pepsi, in collaboration with Robby Technologies, launched a fleet of self-driving cars on the campus of the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California (USA), for food and drink delivery.

The robots, dubbed Snackbot, are self-contained mobile machines with drinks and snacks. The bots include Pepsi products such as Smartfood Delight, Baked Lay's, SunChips, Pure Leaf Tea, Bubly, Lifewtr and Starbucks Cold Brew. The drones are capable of delivering orders within a radius of more than 32 kilometers without recharging and are equipped with a camera with headlights that allow them to autonomously navigate in the dark or in inclement weather. As part of the project, the 175-acre University of the Pacific campus was divided into 50 zones, and students can place orders using the iOS app from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., specifying a delivery area.

Pepsi Snackbot

Snackbot was paved by Serve - robots developed by the Postmates X. Serve laboratory, like Snackbot drones, can independently move along sidewalks and city streets and carry up to 23 kilograms at a distance of 40 kilometers.

Pepsi and Postmates are far from the only companies trying to take over part of the lucrative self-driving delivery market. Well-funded start-ups like Marble, Starship Technologies, Boxbot, Dispatch and Robby have long been poised for serious competition. McKinsey analysts predict that unmanned delivery robots like Serve and Snackbot will serve 85% of shipments by 2025.

As with the collaboration between Pepsi and Robby Technologies, the biggest product makers and trading companies are looking to join forces with drone developers. Robomart announced the launch of a self-driving grocery store on wheels, Udelv agreed with Oklahoma City's Farmstead food chains to deliver perishable food to customers' doorsteps, and Ford has partnered with Postmates to deliver goods from Walmart stores in Miami County.^[1]

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