Ottonomy, a deep tech startup, announced this week that it launched a fleet of its Ottobots for food and retail at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG).
Customers are able to order from select retail stores operated by Paradies Lagardere at orderatcvg.com. They’ll receive updates about their order on their phone, and will use a QR code to open the robot’s secure compartment and get their items.
The Ottobots are fully autonomous delivery robots, suitable for curbside, last-mile and indoor deliveries.
The robots navigate themselves using Ottonomy’s Contextual Mobility navigation technology, which uses behavior based contextual navigation with mapping and localization.
“At CVG, we are redefining the travel experience by combining talent and tech to deliver innovative solutions,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer, CVG Airport. “We’ve built a culture of innovation at the airport and are excited to partner with Ottonomy to test and advance this technology in a live, airport environment.”
This is the first time a fully autonomous delivery system for food, beverages and more is operating in an airport. Ottonomy began piloting the robots at CVG in 2020.
Over the last year, the company has gathered feedback from participants about their experience, the cost and whether they would like to see these robots in an airport. Ottonomy plans to continue gathering feedback and developing its program as its robots make deliveries.
“This launch is a testament to CVG’s commitment to innovation and customer experience. We are able to provide a safe and secure experience through our Ottobots, executing automated contactless deliveries of food and beverage and retail products,” Ritukar Vijay, Co-Founder and CEO of Ottonomy Inc, said. “COVID-19 has changed the way we all interact and relate to travel, making contactless delivery even more relevant and essential.”
Ottonomy was a 2021 RBR50 Award winner for its unique use case of delivering within an airport. Other companies like Starship Technologies and Marble have been developing delivery robots, but have mostly operated outdoors on sidewalks.
