Your next delivery order could come with an extra side of cute. Food delivery service DoorDash recently launched Dot, an autonomous robot that can drop off meals and groceries right at your front door.
Currently in use in Tempe and Mesa, Arizona, each Dot zips up to 20 miles per hour, navigating streets, sidewalks, and driveways. The robots can carry 30 pounds of food in a temperature-controlled compartment.
Experts say Dot’s most helpful feature may be its looks. The robot has humanlike characteristics—big blue eyes, a mouth, and even a tiny indent for a nose. Robots with cute or humanlike features are more likely to be accepted by the public. That’s especially true if the machines also have good manners, according to Sarah Fox and Nikolas Martelaro. They research human-robot interaction at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania.
Dot’s design may help it avoid conflict—and receive a hand if it gets stuck. “Being adorable can help a delivery robot succeed,” Martelaro explains. “Programming it to be well-behaved helps too.”
—Laura Anastasia