Rakuten Group has announced a major expansion of its autonomous delivery service.
The service will now feature advanced robots from Avride, a developer in the autonomous vehicle and delivery robot industry, as well as an expanded roster of participating stores.
The service area has also been expanded to include all of Harumi and parts of Tsukishima and Kachidoki in Tokyo.
Avride robot deployed as part of the expanded service. Avride robot deployed as part of the expanded service.
Since its launch in November 2024, Rakuten’s autonomous delivery service has been providing daily, reliable deliveries – even during nighttime and rainy weather – from popular stores, such as Starbucks Coffee
Harumi Triton Square, Supermarket Bunkado Tsukishima and Yoshinoya Harumi Triton Square.
From February 2025, the service has been expanded further to new stores including the cake shop Patisserie Hat and the convenience store FamilyMart Harumi Center Building.
The delivery area has also grown to cover all of Harumi, parts of Tsukishima 1-4 chome, and parts of Kachidoki 1-6 chome, with over 90 designated delivery points now available for customers to choose from.
To meet the growing demand for autonomous delivery and enhance the service even further, Rakuten has introduced state-of-the-art robots from Avride, a US-based specialist in autonomous delivery technology, in addition to its existing fleet.
Starting on 27
February, these robots will make their debut in Japan, marking the first time Avride’s cutting-edge robots will be deployed in the country.
Going forward, Rakuten plans to scale up to a fleet of 10 Avride robots. To ensure seamless operations, Rakuten has also upgraded its proprietary delivery management system to optimise robot allocation and has conducted successful operational tests with a 10-robot system.
Hideaki Mukai, Executive Officer and Vice President of the Incubation Business, Rakuten Group, commented, "Amid labour shortages in Japan’s delivery industry, we are witnessing increasing demand for reliable and convenient delivery solutions.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Avride to further expand our autonomous delivery service here
in Japan."
Toby Snuggs, Global Commercial Director at Avride, commented, "We are thrilled to bring our technology to Japan for the first time in collaboration with Rakuten.
“By introducing our autonomous delivery robots, we aim to contribute to the convenience of Japanese society while advancing innovation in logistics."
Avride is known for its extensive experience and technological expertise in autonomous delivery robots and self-driving vehicles, with research and development centres worldwide.
Their autonomous delivery robots are equipped with various sensors and sophisticated algorithms, leveraging the advanced solutions used in the company’s self-driving cars to provide efficient, reliable and safe solutions for modern urban logistics.
In the US, Avride’s robots
have been widely deployed for commercial use. The robots used in this service have passed the safety standards set by Japan’s Robot Delivery Association as of 13 December 2024.
Rakuten has been working to commercialize delivery robot services to address labour shortages in the delivery and logistics industries, expand online shopping use and improve customer convenience.
In addition to numerous pilot tests, the company launched Japan’s first supermarket robot delivery services on public roads in March 2021 for a limited period in Yokosuka City.
From November 2022, Rakuten operated regular robot delivery services around Tsukuba station for a limited period, accumulating valuable expertise in the process.
Rakuten remains committed to expanding its services so that even more people can utilise safe, secure and highly convenient services provided by autonomous delivery robots.