Yandex Delivery Robot Built to Bring Pizza in Snow Drifts

(Bloomberg) -- Yandex NV, Russia’s largest internet company, is rolling out a suitcase-sized robot that will attempt to deliver take-out despite Moscow’s winter snow storms.

Similar to delivery robots used by Amazon.com Inc. or Starship Technologies Inc., Yandex’s Rover will focus on delivering meals ordered via Yandex.Eats, a food-delivery app part of a joint venture with Uber Technologies Inc., according to a statement Thursday.

The robot is also being tested with a tough chassis to let it pass road curbs or drifts of snow without damaging its cargo. Rover will be able to distinguish between heavy snow or water splashes from real obstacles on the road.

Yandex has already tested its self-driving cars in Moscow’s snowy and rainy conditions. The city has sub-zero temperatures for about 5 months of the year, and snow height can reach close to a meter.

Besides food delivery, Yandex’s Rover may also be used in the company’s e-commerce warehouse operations and for delivering parcels. Yandex is also considering selling the robots to third-party companies after its testing period.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ilya Khrennikov in Moscow at ikhrennikov@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Nate Lanxon

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