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DoorDash's Dot Bot Will Deliver Your Food, and It Won't Just Cruise Down Sidewalks

The autonomous delivery robot will switch between sidewalks, bike paths and roadways.

Headshot of Tyler Graham
Headshot of Tyler Graham
Tyler Graham Writer
Tyler is a writer for CNET covering laptops and video games. He's previously covered mobile devices, home energy products and broadband. He came to CNET straight out of college, where he graduated from Seton Hall with a bachelor's degree in journalism. When Tyler's not asking questions or doing research for his next assignment, you can find him in his home state of New Jersey, kicking back with a bagel and watching an action flick or playing a new video game. When Tyler's not asking questions or doing research for his next assignment, you can find him in his home state of New Jersey, kicking back with a bagel and watching an action flick or playing a new video game. You can reach him at tgraham@cnet.com.
Expertise Video gaming, computer hardware, laptops, home energy, home internet
Tyler Graham
2 min read
The red DoorDash Dot robot rolls down a street in an idyllic suburban neighborhood.

If you're in Phoenix, watch out where you're driving. The DoorDash Dot robot might take over the metro area.

 DoorDash

A new robot will soon join the autonomous delivery fleet operating in certain neighborhoods. Dot is a bright red bot that is one-tenth the size of a car.

Unlike existing delivery bots, DoorDash's Dot won't always take up sidewalk space. Sometimes, it'll be zooming right next to your car.

DoorDash says its Dot robot is purpose-built for local delivery, and can switch between sidewalks, bike lanes and roads as needed. The robot carries the same load as any other sidewalk delivery vehicle in the fleet, but it travels at up to 20 mph.

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AI Atlas

The first Dot robot is live now as DoorDash tests it in Phoenix. The early program allows residents to give feedback on the bot's performance as DoorDash prepares to release the Dot into other markets.

Even if you're in an area where DoorDash operates robotic deliveries, you won't necessarily be assigned a bot delivery. DoorDash uses an AI dispatcher to assign your orders to human drivers, drones, robots or bots, based on speed, cost and order size.

Reservations, restaurant videos are new

DoorDash paired its delivery-bot announcement with numerous app updates. 

Among them, users can book restaurant reservations from the DoorDash app with the Going Out feature.

DoorDash will also feature creator videos showcasing new local restaurants, part of a new partnership with Yelp.

AI-powered recommendations built on your existing order history are now offered to San Francisco and Manhattan customers.

And when you order using the app, the new Complement Your Cart feature suggests relevant add-ons that pair well with the items in your cart.