Meal Delivery, Modernized

Your next Postmate might not arrive in a car. Meet the delivery service’s newest rover, Serve, which has two eyes and four wheels and navigates the sidewalks remotely monitored by a human pilot. The robot, which Postmates says can carry 50 lb. and travel 30 miles on a single charge, will join more than 350,000 people who deliver food for the company. Customers receive their meals by using a touchscreen on the rover. Designed to navigate in urban spaces with more ease and less environmental impact than a larger vehicle, Postmates says Serve reduces delivery costs and traffic while increasing sales for local restaurants. The service has initial plans to roll out in Los Angeles and San Francisco. —Mahita Gajanan