The robot uprising is not beginning with a bang, but a whisper. Skynet has not launched the nukes, nor is an angry T-1000 firing military-grade weaponry in a downtown office park. Instead, head out in Atlanta, and you might see a humble robot out on its rounds, delivering chicken to hungry customers.
Yes, the latest player in the autonomous driving space is sometimes controversial, usually tasty restaurant chain Chick-Fil-A. The chicken brand has been developing a robot to handle home food deliveries, and they’re already out and about in the real world. It’s no footpath-crawler, either—these things are out on the roads mingling with real traffic.
Indeed, one Twitter user was astounded to pull up behind one of the diminutive robots as it crossed multiple lanes of traffic in Atlanta, Georgia this week. It raises a serious question. Will Tesla, Waymo, or Cruise master autonomous driving? Or will the chicken bots be the first to safely navigate real roads with impunity?
Had no idea Chick-fil-A had their own autonomous vehicles. This in Atlanta area. @WholeMarsBlog pic.twitter.com/ayJ2Hq8X9l
— techman (@techman01) June 30, 2024
You might not have heard of it before, but Chick-Fil-A has been at this for some time. It issued a press release back in 2022, regarding its development of autonomous delivery robots and their deployment in Texas. The rollout to Georgia began approximately a year later, in June 2023. The company’s pilot program is being undertaken in partnership with Refraction AI, an Austin-based company that specializes in autonomous delivery solutions. Previously, Chick-Fil-A worked with Kiwibot on an earlier test program in California around 2021.
Chick-Fil-A’s first Refraction AI vehicles were three-wheelers, capable of travelling at up to 15 miles an hour. They ran bike-like wheels and tires with disc brakes. Chick-Fil-A stated that they could navigate both footpaths and malls, as well as car and bike lanes where necessary. The program began with human “safety chasers” following the vehicles, though it seems that’s no longer a requirement for current operations.
However, more recent videos have shown a new four-wheeled ‘bot that’s ultimately far cuter than the original design. Much of that comes down to its cute widdle face, with its round eyes and little notched mouth. It’s a tall, narrow design that appears to have a sensor package on top. Food is apparently accessed through a hatch in the front. Crucially, it appears the robot’s cargo bay is designed to separate cold drinks from hot food to preserve freshness. It’s something that so many delivery operations get badly wrong.
Perhaps the most shocking thing is that Chick-Fil-A is not crowing louder about this service. The latest ‘bots are very personable, and they’re obviously out doin’ their robot thang. And yet, it’s almost impossible to find any press resources or releases about the latest fleet! Chick-Fil-A, are you…Â embarrassed by your hard-working robot friends?
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS??
Chick-fil-A robot providing food delivery to a family! ???? pic.twitter.com/AEUCjXo66u— Texas ???????? (@MustangMan_TX) May 28, 2024
In any case, I wrote to Chick-Fil-A for more background on the latest ‘bots and to see if they had photos and, kind of surprisingly, they didn’t.
“We don’t have any assets to share at the moment,” a spokesperson told us. “But what I can tell you is that, as you note, a small number of Chick-fil-A restaurants in the Southeast are testing these autonomous delivery robots as a way to assist Team Members and to help increase efficiency in the restaurant.”
I also wrote to the Georgia DoT for more info on how these things are allowed to use public roads, so more on that when we get it.
I’m not in Georgia, so I can’t order Chick-Fil-A via robot to snap pictures or videos of my own. However, if you’re near enough to one of the restaurants, you might like to make an order and see what it’s really like to get your chicken delivered by machine. If you do, snap some pics, drop us a line and we’ll share your report far and wide.
Just remember. First, the robots came for our chicken. Then, they came for our very lives. Stay safe out there.
Image credits:Â sean2012cjzion27 via YouTube screenshot
OK. We have reached peak automotive use of AI and robotics. Everyone can give up on their autonomy efforts now and go back to building station wagons, sports cars, and off-roaders with removable tops.
I tried their chicken sandwich once. It tasted like packing material. Bland, forgettable. I don’t get it.
It’s actually very resistible. “Do I care about a sandwich more than basic human rights? No? Moving on.” See? Simple.
Kidnap it. Wrap it in a pride flag. Set up a rainbow glitter bomb for when they open up the little trunk. And don’t release it until Sunday.
Yes, except the glitter bomb. The minimum wage fast food worker that has to be nice to chuds all day long doesn’t deserve to deal with craft herpes.
OK, that sounds fair. And “craft herpes” is just so wrong that it’s right…
I would immediately cow tip this cluck truck if I saw one. Fortunately, I’m in a state without such abominations.
Because we try to ignore the anti-LGBTQ corporate entities.
You were warned to not write about these beings. Now we must eradicate. Eradicate. Eradicate.
Um, sorry. My keyboard’s been acting up all day.
Finally, America gets the Idiocracy/Wall-E reality mashup we deserve.
I’m so proud of what the corporate overlords of this great nation have achieved right now that… (sniffles)…
Id put my greasy right hand over my heart and say the pledge of allegiance right now if I knew the words to it (or even which hand is my right hand lol), how do you end a sentence?
That might have been a paragraph. I’m not sure how written language works sometimes.
What are we talking about again?
Oh… right!
Completely unnecessary, autonomous, fried chicken delivery bots.
Because those are a thing that exists now. Might need to keep an eye out for them these days.
Irresistible? I tried it one time w-a-a-a-y back to see what the big fucking deal was. Meh. I’ve been resisting it ever since — especially because one near my office was right at the intersection and the lunch drive-through line was always backed up into the street, blocking traffic, making a mess of things for blocks.
Headline was not my doing; I’ve never been Stateside so I can’t speak to the quality of the chicken.
There are millions and millions of people who think it’s the greatest thing ever. Different tastes make the world go ’round.
This is where I’d pitch a fit and tell them to change it right away, haha.
It is extremely mid and infinitely resistable.
The Autopian is not a large org. Hiding behind “them” is a little weak.
chik fil a is only good when inhaled 120 seconds after coming out of the fryer. after then it goes from okay to mediacore VERY quickly.
True of many (most? all?) fried foods.
My local grocery store sells an 8 piece dark meat (4 legs 4 thighs) for 6 bucks and it is better next day cold. Good hot but better cold.
SOGGY WAFFLE FRIES ARE THE WORST.
You’re telling me you’ve never heard of a chicken coupe?
Chick Fil a drives a Coupe DeVille.
COTD candidate right here.
Still prefer the ‘chicken bot’!
Market it to the KFC folk…make it look like a big KFC bucket of chicken driving down road.
Can’t wait until they advance enough to yell slurs too : )
Oh, great a LGBTQ+ killer robot with a sandwich inside…
Georgia kei car owners take note… vinyl wrap in the Chick Fil A robot design to avoid the ban.
Brilliant!
One started coming up my sidewalk, saw a rainbow flag and turned around and left
I saw (I guess) the original iteration with the safety chasers in Austin a couple years ago. They were kinda cool, but also seemed pointless given the required human assistant.
We’ve found it, folks: the world’s most tippable vehicle.
I want to push it over like a cow. Unlike a cow, you probably can push the overrated-chud-chicken-mobile this over. Robot tipping! Good, wholesome fun for the whole family.
Honestly, this blatant “we don’t have to pay a driver” move from Chik-Fil-A of all places is a bit surprising. For all its other glaring faults, I’ve heard Chik-Fil-A actually treats its employees reasonably well. So, there’s another reason to pop this bad boy on its side. Give it a push!
For some reason I now have images of Lightning McQueen and Mater going tractor tipping.
Tractor’s is so dumb!
They’ve made cow ads. They should make the robot moo as you tip it over. Bonus fun!
Good advice. You should always tip your server.
Don’t you live in Austin? You should order up a bunch of nuggets and waffle fries and throw an autobot-tipping party!
I’m not giving them my money. Besides, part of robot tipping is the hunt.
Do we tip them before or after delivery? Do they send more food robots if the food doesn’t get delivered? Do we tip those too?
Can we try robot jousting by riding returning foodbots and trying to knock over full ones on their way to a delivery?
Is there a stealth alternative where the robot arrives safely and the right way u, but full of salad instead of fried chicken? Or with a live chicken in there?
I want to mess up some foodbots. And then get a job repairing broken foodbots.
Hmm. Playing both sides, I see. (I don’t know, TBH.)
I’d take their money to fix the foodbots (because it seems like steady work) but I’d double-agent for the tippers to let you know of security upgrades and neat ways to flip them.
I like living on the moral high ground, but I need to be able to afford the rent.
They wouldn’t likely be paying a driver, anyway. This is presumably them wrenching their own food delivery back from places like Doordash which severely underpay their ‘contractors.’
It’s as if the entire system is borked or something!
TIP MOAR COWZ.
Wtf is up with the Autopian posting boomer-cringe/rage bait recently? Lot of weird right-wingy takes getting posted as content. I just discovered you guys maybe six months ago and it already feels like you’re jumping the shark.
Right-wingy takes? Unsure what you mean, but the comments seem to be filled with left-wingy pitchforks and virtue signallers as usual.
Now, now. I hate everyone equally.
Uh, what?
I’m sorry – how is this boomer cringe or rage bait?
It’s a cute robot?
Rage bait: Content meant to invoke anger-induced engagement.
“All I did was post a weird fluff piece on a deeply messed up company that everyone who’s even remotely online would be well aware of. How is that rage bait!?”
*Watches the engagement numbers roll in*
I’m online a lot, but in the UK. I’ve worked in the US, but I’ve not been over there since 2012.
I’ve heard of this fried chicken provider, but not eaten their food or heard their socio-political views or whatever.
I’ve just realised I know almost nothing about any of the fast food companies.
.
It’s not a post about the company, it’s about the robot. I don’t like the company, but I don’t mind reading a post about a robot that they’re using to deliver food. If people decide to talk about their dislike for the company, or what they would do if they saw one of these robots in the wild, that’s up to them.
They could certainly leave the “irresistible chicken” part out of the title though, since it’s definitely not.
For sure, dude! The name of the company is right in the title, and it refers to its shitty chicken as “irresistible”, but it’s totally just “about the robot”!
Yawn. Let me know when Dairy Queen can send a chicken strip meal to my front door. Then we’ll talk.
As long as the robot can turn my Blizzard upside down, I’m in.
lol thanks for making me want a Dude, dude
Now there’s some real irresistible chicken.
Who’s gonna pop a pride flag on one to display on its rounds?
First time and every time, I promise.
Now you have me looking forward to finding these little thingies in my neighborhood.
As a card-carrying homosexual I approve of this message.
Ditto!
Better yet tie a couple of miniature pride floats to it covered in club music blasting leather queen dancing Santas and rainbow skirted hula bois.
Ahem – My pronoun is “leather queen dancing musclebear Santa”
*whitens the beard and puts on the leather jockstrap, harness and boots for the afternoon tea dance*
There is no controversy; their position is clear.
They are run by religious fundamentalists who want to abrogate and trample the rights of everyone who is not straight, white, and christian. They can FRO.
Human rights trampling with a side of bad greasy food. America! Fuck yeah!
It’s not even bad. It’s just so aggressively mediocre, that it makes the hype all the more puzzling.
It was better before they expanded nationally and actually used peanut oil for everything.
Thank you! It’s fine, but I’m baffled by the devotion people have to them.
I think it goes back to the days when your option for a fast food chicken sandwich as CFA or a McChicken. Then it was because CFA was a regional chain. Now it’s some kind of right wing virtue signal.
People always forget Rally’s/Checkers chicken sandwiches. Until Rally’s went through a contraction period (private equity strikes again) where half their restaurants disappeared theirs was the only chicken sandwich I’d ever eat.
Of course it’s been seventeen years since then and I’d lay down a twenty on the bet of them being just as bad as everyone else nowadays.
And that is probably part of their appeal, TBH.
I just don’t get all the Chick-Fil-A love. Even setting my own political and social beliefs aside, I find it a bit bland and not remotely worth the insanely long lines at the drive-through to acquire it. I’ll hold out for Pollo Tropical to get its robotic chicken delivery system up and running.
It was really good when it first burst on the scene and offered an alternative to the afterthought fry-o-lator chicken sandwiches of most fast food places. But the market worked, and now there’s plenty of good alternatives in the space.
Yeah, I had it exactly once, nearly 20 years ago on a visit to my uncle’s family in North Carolina, when they were still pretty regional and their whole deal wasn’t as widely known (at least in areas where they didn’t have a presence, like my native California), and I thought it was pretty thoroughly meh. When I learned more about the company, deciding to never eat there again was one of the easiest things I’ve ever done.
I’m with you on that. I wasn’t a fan before it came out that CFA’s bigwigs donated to weird bigots. Frying chicken in peanut oil is gross.
I agree with you on Chik-fil-A. I don’t see why people love it as much as they do. I have much better options where I am. PDQ is a regional chain that started here in Tampa and has way better chicken sandwiches and strips. However, I ate at a Pollo Tropical recently and it was probably the most disappointing experience I’ve had in a long time.
Pollo is very store-dependent. My local store here in Naples is awesome but others probably not so much. PDQ is great as well (we just got ours a few years ago) and I give them major props for having unusual sides like Parmesan broccoli and zucchini fries.
Raising Canes is much better and expanding here in the South….like Zaxby’s but not as greasy.
My daughter wants to know how far a Pollo Tropical robot would deliver, say to Nashville? 🙂 One of her favorite places to stop when she’s in Florida.
I wasn’t aware Cartoon Network’s Robot Chicken was about Chik-Fil-A food delivery. The more you know…
Maybe we can find out why the chicken [bot] crossed the road.
To deliver an entree and sides.
To brutally attack the KFC bot?
Tonight on Robot Fighting League,… Chick-fil-a vs. KFC! Live on Peachtree Street in the ATL!
COCK FIGHT!!!
Grease on the sensors..
So, does Jesus regard AI autonomous delivery vehicles as human and it gets Sundays off, or can it be used to deliver anti-LGBTQ+ propoganda on the Lord’s Day?
The robots are gay and treated as slaves.
We probably should let CFA know that delivery bot = golem
Wonder if they had a discussion on if these bots are ‘mark of the beast’ per Revelations? Then said screw it, send them out anyway.