After the COVID-19 pandemic and many other factors have disrupted the supply chain, the company has learned that technology and logistics are now essential to running the business. Larger companies such as Amazon and Walmart have set new precedents and established their own technology and logistics departments to keep up with the rapidly changing business world.

Add DoorDash (NYSE: DASH) to the group. The food delivery platform announced on Thursday a project that has been working behind closed doors since 2018-DoorDash Labs. For more than three years, DoorDash has been secretly researching robotics and automation, and the company is now officially launching its robotics and automation division.

In the past few years, DoorDash has partnered with companies such as Starship Technologies, Marble Robot, and Cruise Automation, and has acquired companies such as Chowbotics to test warehouse automation solutions and drone technology. The company believes that it has identified "a gap in existing automation applications" and can solve this problem by introducing technology developed by DoorDash Labs into the delivery process.

As for what the technology actually is or what it does, the company keeps this information confidential for the time being, and plans to disclose more information about the product and deployment in the next few months.

"As a company, DoorDash has many years of data and experience in operating logistics networks across geographies and different business use cases, so we have a unique perspective on automated delivery use cases and the huge opportunities in the future," Director Harrison Shih, Product Leader of DoorDash Labs Tell Modern Shipper in an email. "Our ultimate goal is to develop and implement robotic solutions to complement the Dasher community, improve the efficiency of our overall network, and provide a more efficient and better experience for all the audiences we serve."

DoorDash also announced that it will hire Ashu Rege, who was the senior vice president of software engineering at Zoox, a self-driving car manufacturer, as the vice president of autonomous driving.

In the press release, DoorDash explained that Labs will pursue a micro-implementation system that the company calls a "center-to-center model." In areas such as shopping malls with high density of merchants, DoorDash will aggregate orders and have robots deliver them to a single consumer center. The idea is to reduce the distance between pick-up locations.

The company said: "In the middle mile of automation, we can reduce the personal workload for each delivery. We expect this will enable Dashers to complete more orders in the same time period and potentially generate more and faster revenues. ."

DoorDash also stated that it is testing "specific integration points" in its network and that its dispatch system is built to accommodate robot integration.

Although some people worry that robots and automation may have a negative impact on gig workers, DoorDash emphasizes that its technology is designed to work with humans.

"At DoorDash, we see automation as a priority and a means to develop the right platform solutions," the company said. "In the long run, we are considering how to continue to meet consumer demand by providing ample supply of Dasher for global delivery. Our team at DoorDash Labs believes in using these technologies to enhance the human network, not to replace them. 

"We are proud of the technology we have developed so far and are committed to working closely with the industry, government and our merchants to ensure that the products we bring to the market are safe and efficient."

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As a member of Door Dash delivery drivers, I know very well how this will improve the delivery time for customers. After the pandemic, many shopping malls and food courts are still open. Especially in my area, I can see how some kind of automated robot transfers orders from the food court on the second floor to the hub near the outer door of the designated delivery driver's parking lot. This will also reduce customer waiting time and cold food orders.

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