Small wheeled robots that travel along sidewalks to deliver food and parcels have expanded to more neighbourhoods in 2026. Moving at walking pace and using cameras and sensors to avoid people and obstacles, they handle short local trips that are inefficient for a car and driver.
The robots work best in calm, flat areas with good paths, and they still rely on remote human operators to help when they get stuck. Weather, kerbs and crowded streets remain challenges. Where conditions suit them, though, they offer a low noise, low emission way to move small items over the last stretch of a delivery.