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# Pandemic-Prompted Robot Food Deliveries
Rappi Began Using Robots to Deliver Food Amid COVID-19

By Grace Mahas | Published 2020-04-20 | Tech
Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rappi
References: [thestar.my](https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2020/04/18/colombias-rappi-trials-robots-to-deliver-restaurant-food-to-homes) & [rappi.mx](https://www.rappi.com.mx/)

To help safely deliver food to people amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Colombia-based startup Rappi began piloting [robot food deliveries](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/doordash-dot) to help encourage social distancing. The trial began in the second-largest city in Colombia, Medellin and included a rectangular robot that travels on four wheels, identified with orange flags on their antennae. The robots — operated jointly by Rappi and US-based KiwiBot — have a surface area of up to 5 square inches and will transport [restaurant orders](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/doordash-and-wing) that have been paid for digitally.

"We believe that by partnering with technology we will be able to continue meeting our aim of safely making people's lives easier, especially in situations like the one we find ourselves in," Rappi's Colombia country manager Matias Laks said in the statement.

Image Credit: Reuters, The Star

## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter)

- Score: 6.1/10
- Popularity: 85% | Activity: 88% | Freshness: 9%
- Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women
- Primary generations: Millennial
- Top markets: South America

## Categories

[Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Mobile](https://www.trendhunter.com/mobile)

## Key Themes

### Why This Trend Is Growing

- **Robot Deliveries:** Robot-enabled food deliveries can help encourage social distancing and minimize contact during the pandemic.
- **Digital Payments:** Digital payments can help facilitate contactless transactions and streamline payment processes for robot food deliveries.
- **Collaborative Robotics:** Collaboration between startups and established robotics companies can enable the development and deployment of innovative robot delivery solutions.

### Industries Being Reshaped

- **Food Delivery:** Robot food deliveries have the potential to disrupt the food delivery industry by providing a more efficient and safe delivery option.
- **Robotics:** The deployment of robot food deliveries highlights the potential of robotics in enabling innovative and efficient transportation solutions.
- **Digital Payments:** Robot food deliveries can drive innovation in the digital payments industry by promoting the use of contactless and digital payment methods.

## Related on Trend Hunter

- [Efficient Robotic Food Deliveries](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/doordash-and-coco-robotics.md)
- [Autonomous Food Delivery Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/autonomous-mobile-robot.md)
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- [Contactless Delivery Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/holabot.md)
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- [Burger Delivery Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/patty-the-robot.md)