Amazon.com confirmed on Thursday that it has acquired Swiss robotics company Rivr, which specializes in developing technology for "doorstep delivery." The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The acquisition was completed quietly earlier this week but was not announced publicly. Instead, Amazon informed its third-party delivery contractors of the deal in a notice.
"We want to inform you that we recently acquired Rivr, a company focused on technology that can assist with doorstep delivery," the notice stated. "We believe this technology, working alongside delivery personnel, has the potential to further enhance delivery safety and the overall customer experience, particularly during the final stage of the delivery process."
An Amazon spokesperson said in a statement that the acquisition "reflects our continued commitment to research and development" and to improving safety for delivery employees.
Amazon relies on a network of thousands of third-party contractors to handle its exclusive package deliveries. These contractors are responsible for the so-called "last mile" delivery, transporting packages from Amazon warehouses to customers' doorsteps.
For over a decade, Amazon has invested heavily in automating various aspects of its warehouse operations. After acquiring warehouse robotics maker Kiva Systems for $775 million in 2012, the company established its Amazon Robotics division dedicated to this field.
In October of last year, Amazon reported it had deployed more than one million robots within its operations network.
In the notice to its delivery service partners, Amazon indicated that Rivr's technology includes wheeled quadruped robots. The company will use this acquisition to research and test how such devices can be integrated into delivery operations, including "assisting delivery personnel in moving packages from the delivery vehicle to the customer's doorstep."
"We are still in the early stages of exploration," the notice continued. "As the project progresses, we will collaborate with you and your teams to conduct field tests, gather real-world data, and incorporate your feedback to plan for the future large-scale application of this technology."
Amazon had previously invested in Rivr through its $1 billion Industrial Innovation Fund, established in 2022 to support warehouse and logistics technology. Bezos Expeditions, the venture capital firm founded by Amazon's founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos, also participated in Rivr's $22 million seed funding round last March. Rivr was formerly known as Swiss-Mile.
Separate reports on Thursday indicated that Jeff Bezos is in preliminary discussions to raise a $100 billion fund aimed at acquiring manufacturing companies in sectors such as chip manufacturing, defense, and aerospace, with the goal of accelerating automation through the use of artificial intelligence.
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