Robots to deliver books, medicine, food to Pittsburgh neighborhoods

Residents in some Pittsburgh neighborhoods will be seeing a new wave of delivery service bringing food, books and medicine, all without human delivery drivers.

The city is teaming up with the company Kiwibot for a pilot program that will collaborate with local businesses to provide free and equitable deliveries.

Kiwibot robots — or personal delivery devices — will deliver items from local businesses, including the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Wilson’s Pharmacy and Taquitos. Kiwibot touts itself as offering the “largest robot delivery infrastructure in the world,” and has bots roving in cities including Miami, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, San Jose and Detroit, plus at schools like New Mexico University, Loyola Marymount University and Gonzaga University.

During the pilot program, which was funded by the Knight Foundation, the city will work to increase affordable delivery options for local businesses for last-mile deliveries. The city, along with local partners, will focus on finding opportunities to use the technology to provide equitable access to food, education and medication while keeping delivery costs low for local businesses, pharmacies and libraries.

The pilot program will focus on portions of the Bloomfield, Garfield and Lawrenceville neighborhoods.

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will be offering free book deliveries to individuals living within the service area.

Pennsylvania last year legalized the use of of delivery robots, and city officials during the pilot program will ensure they are deployed only in areas where they can safely operate among pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles.

“At the local level, it was important to us that, while embracing new technology, it addresses greater societal needs,” like how to “close gaps in access to food, medicine and libraries, while at the same time supporting local businesses, and doing so in partnership with the communities they serve,” said Dan Gilman, Mayor Bill Peduto’s chief of staff.

Kiwibot won’t be the first company to bring delivery robots to the city. In 2019, Starship Technologies launched a fleet of automated food delivery robots in Oakland, though they were taken off the streets amid concerns they were blocking sidewalk access for people in wheelchairs and others who may have limited mobility.

The city has not had “significant challenges” with such delivery robots yet, Gilman said, but city officials will “continue to monitor the impact, particularly on ADA access and pedestrians on the sidewalks,” while also keeping an eye on safety for cars and bikes on the streets.

The robots are permitted to operate in any pedestrian area, including sidewalks, on the berm or shoulder of a roadway or on a roadway posted at 25 mph or less, according to PennDOT.

Kiwibot began making preparations and mapping for the project with Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) in July.

The robots are expected to begin making deliveries later this week. Up to 10 delivery robots will be deployed, with each being remotely controlled by a human supervisor.

The robots will operate during daylight and dusk hours, with hours of operation varying depending on the time of year. The pilot is expected to last six months.

The city will also be working with Assemble, a local nonprofit dedicated to providing a community space for arts and technology, to spread awareness about the delivery robots and technology careers with local youth.