Near-term expectations for all kinds of autonomous vehicles have fallen recently, after several years of unrealistically optimistic projections and a string of road fatalities. But sidewalk bots have begun to gain momentum in certain environments. A few thousand pedestrian-speed delivery robots are in operation, a figure that will at least triple in 2022 if the leading bot makers hit their goals.
One particularly promising market has been U.S. colleges, whose cloistered campuses provide an easier technical challenge than chaotic downtown business districts, and whose students make up an ideal customer base, given their constant hunger for both snacks and novelty.
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