Updates
Four-Wheeled Robots and Autonomous Aircraft Continue Food Delivery to Arlington Neighborhoods
Click on Photo to see video about automated food delivery project
Throughout September , homes in east Arlington and near The University of Texas at Arlington received at-home grocery deliveries with the help of small electric ground and air robots .
The deliveries , which were boxes of nonperishable pantry items donated by the Tarrant Area Food Bank , were made available to participating households as part of the City of Arlington ’ s innovative Multimodal Delivery pilot program . This research , designed to test the efficiency and scalability of using autonomous , electric delivery vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while serving residents in need , is funded with the help of a $ 780,182 U . S . Department of Energy grant .
“ Our focus here is on food delivery to residents who may have mobility challenges or low income and , for whatever reason , can ’ t get out and get groceries on their own ,” said Ann Foss , City of Arlington Transportation Department planning and program manager . “ Because we like to innovate in Arlington by testing new technologies and helping our residents learn about them , we are using an electric ground robot that will deliver the packages to people ’ s homes . We are also using electric , autonomous aircraft that are flying in City parks only to help us deliver the packages from a central hub .”
Arlington partnered with Tarrant Area Food Bank , the University of Texas at Arlington , the North Central Texas Council of Governments , Dallas-Fort Worth Clean Cities Coalition , Airspace Link , Aerialoop , and Clevon . The goal of this two-year study is to test and evaluate the use of no-emission or low-emission uncrewed aircraft and four-wheeled robots that are smaller than cars to deliver essential food items to individuals who are mobility challenged , historically disadvantaged , or lack a reliable means of transportation .
“ Tarrant Area Food Bank distributes one million nutritious meals every single week ,” said Stephen Raeside , the nonprofit ’ s chief external affairs officer . “ That really strains our capacity . What really thrills us so much about this project is the opportunity to investigate the future and see how we can improve our capacity with novel technology while also being kind to the environment .”
This project ’ s target delivery area includes a portion of UTA and neighborhoods roughly bound by Abram Street to the north , State Highway 360 to the east , Pioneer Parkway to the south and Collins Street to the west . The deliveries are made by Aerialoop ’ s ALT6-4 VTOL aircraft , a 6-foot-long , batterypowered aircraft that can carry nearly nine pounds , and Clevon ’ s autonomous delivery robot , CLEVON 1 , equipped with a spacious cargo bay that clients can unlock with a code to access their delivery .
A second delivery demonstration to another 150 households is planned in spring 2025 , Foss said . Page 2