Delivery Robots Aren’t Ready; When They Could Be Needed Most.
Sheltering in place has driven up demand for deliveries, but machines still have trouble confronting the unpredictability of the real world.
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AMERICANS CHOOSING TO —or forced to—stay inside during the Covid- 19 pandemic are leaning heavily on food delivery. Instacart sales soared 98 percent, and Amazon Fresh sales 68 percent, in March, compared with February, according to the consumer analytics firm Second Measure. Restaurants that can’t open their doors are tapping delivery services topreserve some revenue. But many delivery workers say they don’t feel safe. |
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Workers for Instacart have said they lack the gloves, face masks, and disinfectant to do the job safely; others who have receivedequipment complain it’s subpar. And restaurant owners chafe at the high commissions of app-based services like DoorDash, Postmates, and Uber Eats. |
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