Kiwibot: A Level 4 Autonomy robotic solution for delivery, advertising – and more

Kiwibot: A Level 4 Autonomy robotic solution for delivery, advertising – and more

Jun 16, 2025 | Industry News, RealLife Robotics, Robotics, Robots, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

There’s been a quiet robotics revolution underway.

At some 20 campuses across the US – and elsewhere globally – small robots built by Kiwibot have been busy. Day and night, they carry out autonomous food deliveries for hungry students. Sometimes, those same robots are branded with advertising for special events and carry a logo or QR code rather than food.

“Clients are willing to pay to have the bots branded and have them appear at specific events,” explains Maria Valdez, a Business Developer with the company. “For example, for Amazon Web Services (AWS), we were in almost five different locations.”

With between 400 and 500 robots currently deployed, Kiwibot has made significant and impressive inroads toward a future where robotic delivery is likely to become ubiquitous. And the company has big plans going forward.

Below: A video showing a university Kiwibot deployment. The company has grown significantly during the three years since this was produced



THE BUSINESS CASE

 

It’s pretty easy to see the appeal for advertising. Robots aren’t yet common, so they catch people’s attention. The Kiwibot robots have also been designed to appear friendly or ‘cute’ to humans, so there’s immediate interest when one rolls up. Ad campaigns also tend to be brief and don’t require a long-term financial commitment.

When it comes to delivery, that’s a different scenario. While robots may well have a cool factor, businesses always take a hard look at the bottom line. So Kiwibot needs to deliver not only food – but also a return on investment. Here, the company says it has consistently demonstrated significant savings when compared with using human couriers.

That’s proven to be enough incentive for Kiwibots to be deployed on more than 20 university campuses so far in the US, with more to come. Kiwibot has partnered with a global food services company on these campuses.

“The students use an app and order food directly from campus restaurants run by this company – or from any other restaurants that partner with this food services firm,” explains Business Developer Valdez. “One of our technicians takes the food and loads the bot. The bot then navigates autonomously from Point A to multiple points to deliver the packages.”

In addition to the cost savings, data shows Kiwibot delivery is faster than having a human carry out the task – meaning customers receive their food as quickly as possible.

 

EXPANSION

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Though Kiwibot has an impressive track record with US university campuses, it also has broader ambitions. The company is expanding and pursuing other global partnerships. 

One such partnership is in Canada with Real Life Robotics, where together they are running an urban pilot program for food delivery with Skip. In this pilot, robots are roaming the streets of Markham, Ontario (and generating a lot of buzz). 

Kiwibot has also formed a strategic alignments with a major warehouse automation and last-mile delivery firm, where it is deploying its larger capacity Cargobot (designed for moving cargo) on a 24/7 basis. In addition, Kiwibot has deployments in multiple locations in the tech-heavy Middle East.

But the biggest plans have yet to be fully unveiled. Kiwibot is transitioning to Robot.com – with plans for an official launch this summer. Full details are being kept under wraps at the moment, but the home splash page looks pretty intriguing.

Kiwibot has also been promoting a leasing model, where you can rent a robot – in the case of advertising – for as little as two hours. The company leases three different bots: Kiwibot Leap (for food and small package delivery), Kiwibot for Advertising (where branding is applied), and the company’s Cargobot for warehouses and factories.

All robots function autonomously, though a human being is always monitoring their progress and can take over if necessary at places like crowded crosswalks. What’s more, the Kiwibot Leap is capable of scanning walkways for anomalies while it carries out deliveries. If it spots something amiss, like a large crack or pothole etc., it can flag the location and capture an image of the anomaly. That data can then be shared with the university (or municipality) so that maintenance can rectify the problem.

Below: Fresh food, freshly delivered, via Kiwibot





Kiwibot

INDRO’S TAKE

 

We’re impressed with Kiwibot. The company has been executing on its strategic vision and appears to have a solid growth trajectory. Its platforms are technologically solid with Level 4 autonomy and have been designed to blend into our human world.

“Getting robots from the R&D stage into real-world applications – particularly applications in the public space – isn’t easy,” says InDro Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “Getting more than 400 robots out and running on a daily basis is no small task, and Kiwibot is poised to be a major contender – if not a leader – in the robotic delivery and advertising space. We are thrilled to see the partnership with Real Life Robotics and hope to see that expand in future.”

We’ll be keeping an eye on Kiwibot, and will update when Robots.com is officially launched.

 

InDro on the road: Four major conferences in a month

InDro on the road: Four major conferences in a month

Jun 5, 2025 | Events, InDro Cortex, InDro News, Industry News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

We’ve been busy.

Our Head of R&D Sales, Luke Corbeth, has been on the road – hitting up four conferences in three countries in less than a month. During that time, he’s met with potential clients, seen cutting-edge research, and even officially launched the new InDro Cortex.

It’s always a challenge, selecting which conferences to attend. But we try to be strategic, attending those which combine a chance to meet with new and existing clients while learning as much about new trends and research as possible.

For Corbeth, who has just returned from a show in the UK, it’s all about opportunities.

“Some of these conferences are truly the place to meet with people who are at the forefront of R&D and new use-case scenarios,” says Corbeth. “These people are often leveraging either our technology or tech from other manufacturers and integrators. These events are a great way to stay on top of things.”

Below: Luke at the big AUTOMATE 2025 show in Detroit

Luke Corbeth Automate

AUTOMATE 2025

 

This was the first stop on our tour.

In early May, Corbeth headed to the AUTOMATE 2025 show in Detroit – one of the premiere annual automation events. We were guests at the big Ericsson booth, where the company was highlighting its Ericsson 5G Private network, or EP5G. Large companies with smart factories and high degrees of automation are increasingly opting for private 5G networks for their security, high bandwidth and low-latency. Literally thousands of smart or embedded devices can share data in real-time on a private 5G network.

To show off the potential of private 5G, companies like Ericsson (which is the world’s largest provider of cellular network hardware) need to showcase tangible use-cases. And so Corbeth was there with Captis, a cycle-counting and precision scanning autonomous robot built for warehouse environments. InDro Robotics is the incubator of Cypher Robotics and helped do the R&D work on Captis. 

“We make private 5G sexy,” laughs Corbeth. “Captis is a prime example of a technology that effectively leverages private 5G networks.”

 

ICRA

 

Next, it was off to Atlanta for the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, or ICRA. Once again, there was plenty of automation and robotics on display, but the real emphasis at ICRA is on research. Posters and papers are a big part of the event, which draws some of the leading global researchers and thought leaders.

“ICRA is more of a forward-looking conference when compared with Automate,” explains Corbeth. “You’re really getting a peek at technologies, algorithms and use-cases that are coming down the pipeline.”

ICRA attracts a *lot* of researchers from the academic world, and a significant portion of InDro’s clients are from universities. At this event, InDro displayed its new Cortex – an exceedingly powerful module for robot integration and teleoperation – for the first time in public.

“Cortex is a platform- and sensor-agnostic brain box,” he says. “It can be attached to any platform – wheeled, tracked, quadruped, humanoid or drone. Because it’s plug and play, anyone who already has some combination of platforms and sensors can quickly build a robot around it.”

InDro also displayed its ROS2-based drone, developed by InDro for R&D use-cases. You’ll be hearing more about that in the future.

 

IDEaS

 

From Atlanta, it was back to Ottawa for the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) event. Put on by the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Air Force, there was definitely some emphasis on military applications such as Counter-UAS technology. InDro is prioritised on positive use-case scenarios, such as logistics, mapping, Search and Rescue, cargo delivery etc.

“We have really maintained our focus on drones and robots for good,” says Corbeth.

 

UK

 

And last, but not least, Luke jet-setted to the UK for the big Smart Manufacturing Expo in Birmingham. It could be described as the UK’s equivalent of Automate, with the focus on automation and robotics in the manufacturing sector. At the June 4-5 event, Corbeth was representing the Captis cycle-counting solution.

“Really, we were exploring whether potential clients in the UK are experiencing some of the same problems with cycle counting that existing clients in Canada, New Zealand and the UAE have. There was a tremendous amount of interest in Captis.”

Below: Another show, another booth for Luke Corbeth. Second photo shows Luke with senior Ericsson staff Jan Diekmann, Alan Minney and John Tomik. InDro shared the stage with Ericsson in Birmingham to discuss the future of smart factories and private 5G networks

Luke Corbeth
Luke Birmingham Ericsson Jan Diekmann, Alan Minney and John Tomik

INDRO’S TAKE

 

As mentioned, we choose conferences carefully in order to maximise our spend, exposure, and client outreach. Corbeth was able to meet with many existing clients and develop new relationships that could lead to strategic partnerships and/or sales. Perhaps most importantly, he was able to showcase Cortex, our new ROS2 R&D drone, as well as promote the Captis cycle-counting/precision scan solution.

“It’s been a very busy month for Luke and InDro Robotics,” observes InDro Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “We are very excited about both Cortex and our R&D drone and are on a trajectory to manufacture these at scale later this year. We’re pleased to see the level of interest in these products – and have no doubt the investment we’ve made in attending these events will pay off.”

Interested in learning more about either of those products? You can get in touch with Luke (who may still be jet-lagged) right here.

InDro Forge: A one-stop shop for prototype development and limited production runs

InDro Forge: A one-stop shop for prototype development and limited production runs

Jun 4, 2025 | InDro Forge, InDro News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

It’s been some time since we’ve written about InDro Forge. That’s our custom prototype fabrication and limited production run facility in Ottawa.

We’ve been running the facility since September of 2023 – and have grown its capacity significantly since then. We’ve added new staff, capital expenditures, and have fine-tuned a workflow to ensure speed without sacrificing quality control.

“InDro Forge is the hardware hub of InDro Robotics,” explains Forge Production Engineer Joel Koscielski. “So it’s the space where we design, develop, prototype and produce the hardware that goes into InDro products as well as our client’s products.”

And, with designers and engineers and fabrication specialists, Forge ensures clients leave with a polished, finished product.

Below: The water jet table – one of many additive and subtractive tools at InDro Forge

ADDITIVE, SUBTRACTIVE TOOLS

 

You can think of InDro Forge as a small-scale factory. And it’s loaded with the tools required for that job, ranging from a state-of-the-art CNC machine and water jet table through to a variety of 3D printing devices – including the BigRep ONE, capable of printing objects up to one cubic meter in size with a variety of materials.

All of these tools, broadly, belong to one of two categories: Additive or subtractive.

“Subtractive tooling, as it implies, is about taking away material,” explains Koscielski. “If you think about something like a beautiful stone carving, or you a wood carving that’s been carved with a chainsaw to make a beautiful piece of art – those are subtractive processes.”

And additive?

“That’s really about working with a liquid material or powder, adding layer by layer, to build in what’s commonly known as 3D printing. We have about six different types of printers here that work with multiple materials depending on the accuracy we need on the surface finish.”

 

IN-HOUSE EXPERTISE

 

InDro Forge has a cross-disciplinary team, ensuring complementary skillsets. We have experienced robotics engineers, designers, electronics specialists and more to ensure our client’s plans evolve into a functioning, real-world product. We’re proud of the final fit and finish of everything that goes out the door.

We’re also cognisant that, on rare occasions, unusual requirements can pop up that stretch even our considerable expertise and fabrication resources. There, InDro Forge has access to the InDro Robotics engineering team at Area X.O, as well as contacts with external specialists in virtually every related sector.

“We have a well-filled Rolodex – though that’s a bit of a dated term – of people we can reach out to when our expert isn’t enough,” says Koscielski. “We know who to ask to be able to make sure that we can find the best solution for the problem we’re facing.”

Below: In addition to products for clients, InDro’s robots like Sentinel now go through final integration and assembly at InDro Forge

 
Industrial Inspection Robot

INDRO’S TAKE

 

We launched InDro Forge in September of 2023 with a small but strong core staff. Since then, we’ve expanded that team significantly with strategic hires aimed at maximising not only Forge’s overall expertise – but its capacity for handling multiple projects, including limited production runs.

“InDro Forge has truly been the perfect match for our Area X.O operations – as well as new clients,” says InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “With the ability to leverage the expertise of our broader engineering R&D team, Forge has an immense amount of expertise at its fingertips.”

Interested in learning more? Contact InDro Forge here.

InDro in Atlanta at ICRA – IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation

InDro in Atlanta at ICRA – IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation

May 21, 2025 | InDro Cortex, InDro News, Industry News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

We are at ICRA 2025 – billed as “the premiere conference in robotics and automation.”

With about 40,000 attendees, there are some conferences out there that are even larger. But few are more influential when it comes to R&D. Some 3,000 research papers have been submitted for the show, with massive poster displays showing off cutting-edge research and new use-cases.

InDro is represented at this show by our Head of R&D Sales, Luke Corbeth. We spoke with Luke about why this conference is so important in this edition of our Sound Byte micro-podcast.

PAPERS, POSTERS, BREAKTHROUGHS

 

All of that research may not be as immediately appealing as the latest humanoid robot, but some of it might well improve the next generation of humanoids or reveal new use-cases. Research unveiled at shows like these – and particularly at ICRA – often finds a pathway from R&D into real-world applications..

“It’s really about creating that knowledge transfer,” explains Corbeth. “Others can build on top of what was discovered instead of having to do that work over again. And, that ultimately lays the groundwork (not only) for improvement in our field but also collaboration as well between academia, industry and others.”

And while Corbeth will be checking out the poster presentations (and robots!) when he has a moment to slip away from the booth, most of his time will be spent talking with potential clients about recent InDro innovations.

Those on display at the show include InDro Controller – our user-friendly interface for remote teleoperations and autonomous missions. Controller is the result of an immense amount of Front and Back-End development. It allows for the rapid plotting of repeatable autonomous missions with a few clicks of a mouse. Actions, such as zooming in on a point of interest or scanning a particular item for thermal anomalies, can be set up in a flash. And the software immediately detects any new sensors added to a robot (or drone) and allows for a fully customisable dashboard to display and save the data they acquire.

We’re also showing off our new R&D research drone. We developed this product, which runs on ROS2, over the past two years. Because it’s fully Open Source and has powerful onboard compute, it’s the perfect tool for researchers who want to test new applications and code. There are very few drones that have been developed specifically for R&D purposes, so we’re pleased to be offering this (and have already sold units to US researchers).

 

THE BIG REVEAL

 

We’re most excited, however, to be showing our new Cortex module in public for the first time.

“It’s a brain box for virtually any robot or drone,” says Corbeth. “So the idea behind Cortex is it’s extremely lightweight. It has really capable compute in the (NVIDIA) Orin NX in addition to 5G connectivity and power distribution. So we can turn virtually any Uncrewed Ground Vehicle or Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle into a robot capable of teleoperation and autonomy with a little bit of software and some sensor integrations.”

We’re not releasing full specs yet, but we’re incredibly excited about the capabilities offered by Cortex. It allows not only for remote teleoperation, but for the near-instant integration of additional sensors on UGVs and UAVs without all the coding. We can also bundle Cortex with additional software stacks like InDro Autonomy. And, of course, it plays nice with InDro Controller.

If you follow InDro, you’ll be aware we previously developed the popular InDro Commander, which carries out similar functions. Cortex is the logical descendant of that R&D, putting even greater power into the smallest package possible.

Though commercial release is scheduled for later this year, we’ve already had inquiries and pre-orders. Here’s a peek at Cortex on display at ICRA 2025:

InDro Cortex ICRA 2025

INDRO’S TAKE

 

We choose our conferences carefully. ICRA is truly at the centre of cutting-edge R&D and is a must-attend for us. Not only is it a great opportunity to expand our client base, but also a chance to see the latest and best research in the sector.

“The show has come a long way since we were last here,” says Corbeth. “There has been an incredible amount of innovation in such a short period from the companies that exhibit and the researchers that are presenting. Notably, a lot of advancement in humanoids, grippers and solutions like Cortex that make it easier to develop, create and deploy robotics systems.”

Interested in more information about Cortex? You can hit us up here.

The rise of the humanoid robots

The rise of the humanoid robots

May 12, 2025 | Humanoids, Industry 4.0, Industry News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

Did you catch the recent news?

A few cool things have popped up on the humanoid front. The first is that Hyundai Motor Group – which owns a majority share in Boston Dynamics – announced it will purchase “tens of thousands” of robots for use in its factories in coming years. It’s part of a $21B US investment in United States operations, which includes $6B “to drive innovation and expand strategic partnerships with U.S. companies” according to this news release.

Hyundai has already deployed the Boston Dynamics quadruped Spot at some facilities, but the release makes it appear that the future is humanoid.

“Physical AI and humanoid robots will transform our business landscape to the next level. Through our collaboration, we will expedite the process to achieve leadership in the robotics industry,” said Jaehoon Chang, Vice Chair of Hyundai Motor Group.

The other news of note? Both Boston Dynamics and Agility Robotics (the makers of humanoid Digit) will join A3 (the Association for Advancing Automation) to develop a new safety standard for robots in the workplace. It’s said that the recent advances in humanoid robots were a key catalyst for the project.

How widespread will the adoption of humanoids be? Well, recent analysis by Morgan Stanley predicts eight million units will be on the job by 2040, and 63 million by 2050. Think about that for a minute.

Below: Atlas in a factory setting trial. Note the mistake – followed by an AI-driven correction

WHY HUMANOIDS?

 

There are plenty of robots on the market with a variety of form factors. There are wheeled AMRs, quadrupeds, fixed robotic arms – and more. So what is it about humanoids that differentiates them?

“Humanoid robots assume a human-like form factor,” explains InDro’s Head of R&D Sales Luke Corbeth. “It means it has bipedal or two-legged locomotion. They also tend to include dexterous hands – the ability to pick and place objects. They also ideally have some kind of autonomous functionality and the ability to interact with the environment in smart ways.”

Because of their bipedal form factor, humanoids tend to remind us of human beings (which is obviously how they get their name). Nearly all humanoids currently on the market are about the size of a human – and there’s a reason for that: Workplaces are largely built for people.

“What makes the humanoid form factor really exciting is, unlike traditional robots, the infrastructure doesn’t need to change to accommodate it. As a result, it can adapt to navigating different environments using existing equipment. This means we don’t need to retrofit factories, offices, and homes. So there’s much faster deployment for companies looking to adopt this technology,” he adds.

 

HANG ON A SECOND

 

You’ve no doubt seen videos by now of humanoids carrying out tasks. Often, these videos have been sped up. Humanoids, with rare exceptions, don’t yet move at the speed of human beings – and often have to pause to understand and perceive their environment.

But does that matter?

“The answer is kind of no,” says Corbeth. “In a lot of cases, humanoids can work around the clock. So if they’re slightly slower than humans are today, their overall productivity can still be higher. Plus, we’re still in the early phases of humanoids, so we do expect their speed and dexterity to continue improving over time.”

That being said, you can’t simply drop a humanoid into a factory setting and expect it to carry out work – at least not yet. Like a human employee, robots need training – often via remote teleoperation, coding, and additional autonomy stacks before they’re capable of punching the clock.

At InDro, we’re a North American distributor for Unitree, a leading global robotics manufacturer. In addition to its G1 and H1 (and H1-2) humanoid robots, the company has put considerable resources into its Dex5 dexterous hand. You’ll see in the video below it’s getting close to human-like capabilities – and that the G1 has impressive speed and agility even on challenging terrain.

INDRO’S TAKE

 

It’s still early days. But we’re excited about the potential for humanoids in an Industry 4.0 setting – and have some plans on this front.

“As an R&D company, we know that integrating any robot into a real-world setting takes work,” says Indro Robotics Founder/CEO Philip Reece. “With products like InDro Controller and our InDro Autonomy software stack – plus another innovation we’ll be releasing later this year – we have the ability to significantly enhance stock humanoids and dial them in for specific work settings. Humanoids are here to stay.”

Interested in learning more? Get in touch with us here.

InDro partners with Ericsson at Detroit’s AUTOMATE! show

InDro partners with Ericsson at Detroit’s AUTOMATE! show

May 12, 2025 | Captis, cycle counting, Cypher Robotics, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

Cypher Robotics, a company InDro has incubated, is on the road. 

And – like it did recently at Hannover Messe in Germany – Cypher has again partnered with Ericsson to showcase technology at a major global technology show. This time around, it’s the big Automate event in Detroit from May 12-15, 2025.

Cypher is showcasing its cycle-counting robot called Captis. It’s a three-in-one Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) that can count warehouse inventory, capture RFID tags, and carry out precision scans of an entire facility. Its coolest feature? A tethered drone that can ascend from the base to count inventory at height in the back of massive warehouses.

Captis can also carry out missions as long as five hours before autonomously returning to a wireless recharging base. That’s enough time to count all the inventory in a 100,000 square foot warehouse – all while saving people from the repetitive – and potentially risky – task of working from heights.

But Cypher is doing more than show off Captis. It’s providing a tangible example of how a private 5G network can enable the future of automation.

Above: Cypher Robotics Founder and CEO Peter King (L) on stage at the recent Hannover Messe show in Germany

Below: The Captis system with its tethered drone. InDro Robotics is the incubator for Cypher Robotics

 

Cypher Robotics Captis

ERICSSON AND 5G

 

Captis is being displayed at the Ericsson booth. That company is the world leader in telecommunications hardware and software. Odds are high your local cellular provider runs on a network built by Ericsson.

And now, as companies globally transition toward an Industry 4.0 (IR4) world of automation and connected devices, those networks are more important than ever. Secure, high-speed data throughput in the form of private 5G networks is the very foundation of IR4.

“As part of their digital transformation and push towards Industry 4.0, we’re seeing manufacturers make investments in key areas like autonomy, industrial IoT devices and advanced analytics,” says Ericsson’s Jan Diekmann, the company’s Global vertical lead manufacturing – Private 5G Networks.

It is high-bandwidth, low-latency throughput that enables all of this data to stream in real-time. Increasingly, major manufacturers like Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) are installing private 5G networks from Ericsson to handle the task.

“This cutting-edge networking technology is enhancing the production of Range Rover vehicles by supporting business-critical applications such as vision systems, IoT sensors, and production tools,” explains this Ericsson post. “The deployment of Ericsson Private 5G is a pivotal step for JLR in embracing Industry 4.0.”

But why not simply utilise a public 5G provider? The answer is simple.

“If you use a public network, your data goes through that public network,” says Diekmann. “If you have a private network, you get the security that comes with having the data managed by you. You control who sees it, where it goes. You can also accommodate a high density of devices in a small area – which is critical in an Industry 4.0 setting.”

 

WHY CYPHER ROBOTICS?

 

Cypher Robotics was invited to display its Captis solution alongside Ericsson both at Automate in Detroit, and at the recent Hannover Messe show in Germany. It’s a hands-on way of demonstrating what a private 5G network can achieve in a real-world setting. All data from Captis is instantly and securely uploaded to a company’s Warehouse Management System. 

“That’s the reason we like to showcase use-cases. We’re really trying to help manufacturers see the value of a private 5G network and bring the concept to life,” adds Diekmann.

Below: Cypher Robotics Founder and CEO Peter King, left, along with partners Ericsson and Slolam Consulting

Cypher Robotics Peter King Hannover Messe Captis

INDRO’S TAKE

 

InDro is pleased to see Captis and Ericsson once again collaborate on the global stage. As the incubator for Cypher Robotics, we are particularly proud.

“The Captis solution is truly at the forefront of cycle-counting technology, and it’s been very satisfying to assist the Cypher Robotics team overcome some of the demanding technical hurdles,” says InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “In addition to what it can do for clients, Captis is also a great way for Ericsson to demonstrate the undeniable efficiencies that private 5G networks enable in an Industry 4.0 setting.”

By the way, Captis and our flagship inspection robot Sentinel do more than attend conventions. Both solutions are currently deployed, counting inventory and carrying out daily inspections, with clients in three different countries.

Interested in learning more? Our Head of R&D Sales, Luke Corbeth, loves talking robots. You can reach him here.