Uber Eats launches delivery robots in Philly

Driving the news: Uber Eats held a public demo Tuesday of Avride autonomous delivery robots, which officially launched in Center City this week.

• The bots already operate in a dozen cities, including Austin, Dallas and Jersey City, with more expansions on the way.

State of play: It's the latest tech incursion in Philly, which Waymo has targeted for expansion for its self-driving taxis.

Zoom in: Avride began testing the robots here last year, an Uber spokesperson tells Axios.

How they work: The robots deliver from participating Center City restaurants within a 1–2 mile radius, traveling up to 5 mph.

• Rain, sleet or snow, these bots train to go. They stay charged for 12 hours and use built-in sensors and specially built chassis systems that can handle winter weather.

The intrigue: You still have the option for a good-old-fashioned human delivery driver, but one perk of the robots: no tipping required.

Yes, but: What if some jabroni tries stealing your grub?

• Don't worry: Customers must unlock the cargo hatch through the Uber Eats app.
• And if someone tampers with or tries to haul away the bot, Avride is immediately notified.