DoorDash launches Dot, a small autonomous delivery robot rolling out in Phoenix

On Tuesday, DoorDash pulled back the curtain on Dot, a small, bright-red delivery robot designed to ferry food and small packages across city streets, bike lanes, and sidewalks at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. Built entirely in-house, Dot looks more like a Pixar sidekick than a futuristic vehicle, with LED eyes, a grinning “mouth” that opens to reveal food storage, and an overall cartoonish design that’s equal parts charming and eerie.

The company has begun early testing in the Phoenix metropolitan area and plans to scale Dot to serve the region’s 1.6 million residents by the end of 2025.

A Smaller, Friendlier Take on Autonomous Vehicles

While robotaxis from giants like Google’s Waymo and Tesla have become a familiar—if controversial—sight in cities such as San Francisco and Austin, DoorDash sees a parallel opportunity in food delivery.

“You don’t always need a full-sized car to deliver a tube of toothpaste or pack of diapers,” said DoorDash co-founder Stanley Tang during the robot’s unveiling at the company’s San Francisco headquarters. “Dot is purpose-built for the millions of deliveries we facilitate every day. It is small enough to navigate doorways and driveways, fast enough to maintain food quality, and smart enough to optimize the best routes for delivery.”

Unlike sidewalk delivery bots such as those from Serve Robotics, Dot can travel on both roads and walkways, combining speed with maneuverability. At just under five feet tall and three feet wide, weighing 350 pounds, it’s about a tenth the size of a car. Dot’s storage compartment can fit six pizza boxes or up to 30 pounds of food, with modular inserts such as cupholders or coolers for different delivery needs.

Tech Specs and Design Choices

Dot comes equipped with:

• Eight cameras, four radar units, and three lidar sensors for navigation.
• A real-time AI system that blends deep learning with search-based algorithms to calculate routes.
• Swappable batteries, allowing vehicles to keep moving while charging happens separately.
• LED displays, speakers, and even a microphone, paving the way for potential AI-powered conversations between customers and the robot.

The company has also created infrastructure in Phoenix to support its growing fleet: storage warehouses, charging stations, and a team of field operators who maintain and recover robots in case of breakdowns or mischief.

A Market Ripe With Challenges

The rollout of Dot comes amid the broader struggles of the autonomous vehicle (AV) industry, where many startups have burned through billions only to collapse under regulatory, safety, or public-perception hurdles. Robotaxis in particular have sparked vandalism and protests, making DoorDash’s cheerful Dot a potential new lightning rod for urban tensions.

The company insists that safety is central to Dot’s design. It’s programmed to yield to pedestrians and cyclists, and in case of trouble, it doesn’t rely on remote human control. Instead, it’s trained to pull over and wait for assistance—a strategy critics may argue is easier said than done in real-world traffic.

Still, DoorDash argues that smaller delivery vehicles could reduce congestion and emissions, a point that’s won support from some lawmakers.

What It Means for Delivery Workers

For human Dashers, Dot could signal both relief and unease. DoorDash says people will still handle most orders, especially high-value deliveries requiring judgment and care. Robots, the company argues, will simply free up workers to focus on those jobs. But for many, Dot may feel like the start of automation creeping into their livelihoods.

The Bigger Picture

DoorDash has been quietly laying the groundwork for this launch for years. It acquired AV startup Scotty Labs in 2019, absorbed talent from mapping company Lvl 5, and brought on Ashu Rege, a former Zoox executive, to lead its autonomy division.

With Dot, DoorDash isn’t just dipping its toes into automation—it’s betting on a future where millions of suburban and city deliveries are handled by small, semi-cute, semi-creepy machines instead of human drivers.

Whether Dot becomes a beloved neighborhood helper or the next target of public backlash remains to be seen. What’s clear is that DoorDash has officially joined the race to redefine last-mile delivery—on four little wheels with LED eyes.