Delivery Robots Hit Streets Backed by Niantic's Pokemon GO-Era Mapping - TechRepublic

"Coco is pushing beyond the slower sidewalk delivery bots that have shaped the category so far. The new robot can move onto streets and bike lanes where legal and appropriate, and it can carry multiple orders at once, according to Semafor's report on Coco 2."

"In dense city delivery, knowing the block is not enough. A robot has to stop on the correct side of the street, approach the right entrance, and handle curbs, bike lanes, loading zones, and tall buildings that can throw off satellite positioning. That is the kind of navigation problem Niantic Spatial is trying to solve."

"Niantic Spatial also says its geospatial AI platform is built on more than 30 billion posed images from millions of locations, creating a large visual base for machines moving through the physical world."

Coco Robotics is advancing autonomous delivery beyond sidewalks with its Coco 2 robot, which can operate on streets and bike lanes at speeds up to 13 mph without remote human drivers. The robot can carry multiple orders simultaneously and navigate complex urban environments. Niantic Spatial, a spinoff from Pokémon GO's developer, provides the navigation backbone through its Visual Positioning System and geospatial AI platform. This technology addresses the challenge of precise urban delivery where GPS signals drift and drop-off locations are difficult to pinpoint. Niantic's system leverages over 30 billion posed images from millions of locations to enable accurate positioning. Coco has completed over 500,000 deliveries and operates 1,000 robots across the US and Europe.

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