Postmates ServeHero Autonomous Robot equipped with a Velodyne Lidar VLP-16 sensor
Velodyne Lidar, Inc. today announced Postmates has included Velodyne’s intelligent, versatile lidar technology in its innovative self-driving rovers for short-distance deliveries, Postmates Serve. Equipped with Velodyne’s compact, powerful lidar sensor, Serve combines autonomy and emission-free robotics for efficient, sustainable movement of goods in cities.
Serve’s elegant architecture includes Velodyne’s market-leading VLP-16 Puck™ sensor, which has been seamlessly designed into the rover. The VLP-16 Puck™ is strategically built into the top of the rover for a high-performance surround view, enabling Serve to detect people and objects as it completes local deliveries.
VLP-16 sensor
“At Postmates, we’ve spent the last couple of years researching and ultimately developing a rover that we feel works the best for on-demand delivery. When we set out to build Serve, we wanted a mature lidar sensor that we could trust, one that’s reliable and proven in the industry,” said Ali Kashani, head of Postmates R&D. “Velodyne is a great collaborator and the company’s manufacturing capacity can support the growth of this program.”
Serve enhances the company’s existing fleet, which is currently completing over four million deliveries monthly, allowing for increased capacity and efficiency. Velodyne sensors provide the high-resolution, real-time surround view data required for Serve to safely navigate local delivery routes.
“With the Serve rover, Postmates has created a groundbreaking mobility solution that will transform how we move goods and make it easier for merchants to connect with their local communities,” said Mike Jellen, President and CCO, Velodyne Lidar. “Postmates provides a leading example of how companies are using the power of Velodyne lidar to fulfill the creativity of innovators, changing the world with autonomous products and services.”
Velodyne Lidar (Nasdaq: VLDR, VLDRW) ushered in a new era of autonomous technology with the invention of real-time surround view lidar sensors. Velodyne, a global leader in lidar, is known for its broad portfolio of breakthrough lidar technologies. Velodyne’s revolutionary sensor and software solutions provide flexibility, quality and performance to meet the needs of a wide range of industries, including robotics, industrial, intelligent infrastructure, autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Through continuous innovation, Velodyne strives to transform lives and communities by advancing safer mobility for all.
