DoorDash is expanding its autonomous delivery efforts from partnerships with tech providers to an in-house-developed robot. The global on-demand delivery platform is launching “Dot,” an autonomous robot built to travel on bike lanes, roads, sidewalks and driveways that is specifically designed for local delivery. At one-tenth the size of an average car, Dot can reach speeds of up to 20 mph with an all-electric design and can use artificial intelligence to optimize its delivery route. Beginning with an early access program in Tempe and Mesa, Ariz., DoorDash intends to bring the use of Dot into multiple new markets over time. According to DoorDash, robotic delivery is part of a broader global multi-modal delivery platform strategy that integrates human drivers, drones, and autonomous robots in an effort to meet increasing demand while lowering costs and emissions. According to DoorDash, human drivers (which the company calls “dashers”) will continue to complete the vast majority of its millions of daily deliveries. DoorDash intends for autonomous delivery technology to increasingly allow dashers to focus more on high-value orders that require human judgment and care.