Rakuten uses autonomous robots to boost last-mile delivery

They can deliver at night and in bad weather thanks to LiDAR sensors.

Rakuten Group, Inc. is ramping up its autonomous delivery service with advanced robots from US-based Avride to improve last-mile logistics in Japan.

The delivery robots feature LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensors — similar to those used in self-driving cars — and Avride’s proprietary autonomous driving algorithm, Fukutaro Yamashita, senior manager of unmanned solution department at Rakuten, told Retail Asia via Zoom.

The latest model boasts a 54-liter compartment, more than double the previous capacity, allowing larger orders and fewer trips along the sidewalk. Whilst they can carry multiple orders at once, they operate with one order per trip.

The robots can also deliver at night and in rainy weather up to 20 millimeters of rain per hour, with LiDAR and ultrasonic sensors helping them navigate in darkness and bad weather. However, during heavy rain, snow, or high winds, operations are paused to ensure safety.

Each robot runs for up to 12 hours on a single charge, with a recharge time of about 3.5 hours. Rakuten operates five robots across Harumi, Tsukishima, and Kachidoki in Tokyo’s east, serving more than 90 delivery points.

Initially launched with deliveries from Starbucks Coffee Harumi Triton Square, Supermarket Bunkado Tsukishima, and Yoshinoya Harumi Triton Square, the service has since expanded to include Patisserie Hat and FamilyMart Harumi Center Building.

Japan’s food delivery market was valued at $5.41b (¥800b) in 2024, according to German data portal Statista. The demand surged during COVID-19 and has remained high after the pandemic.

Whilst the robots can operate independently, Yamashita said a remote operator is required by law. “No assistance is needed, but according to our regulations in Japan, remote operators are needed, but we don’t have to have the human by the robot.”

Japan also caps the robots’ speed at 6 kilometers per hour, keeping them in line with autonomous delivery models, Yamashita said. 

A significant challenge has been integrating different robot models, since each has unique unlocking mechanisms for deliveries. “We’ve made it easy for customers by providing clear unlocking instructions based on the specific property they are in,” he said.

Yamashita said the Japanese technology company is prioritising domestic growth before entering overseas markets. “First, we aim to grow the service in Japan. After that, we plan to develop a growth strategy and expand further.”

Since its launch in November 2024, the service has been used more, though it remains a small portion of overall deliveries. Rakuten said it is focused on expanding in Harumi, Tsukishima, and Kachidoki, targeting 24,000 households in the area.

Rakuten is also expanding its fleet to 10 Avride robots and has upgraded its delivery management system to improve robot allocation. The system has been tested successfully with a 10-robot setup.

Rakuten sees the use of delivery robots beyond food and retail, with potential applications in business-to-business shipments and pharmaceutical deliveries, Yamashita said. “We aim to establish robots as part of the infrastructure.”