Coco Robotics Appoints UCLA Professor to Lead AI Research Lab

Coco Robotics Launches AI Lab with UCLA Professor

Coco Robotics, a company specializing in last-mile delivery robots, is initiating a new phase of development centered around leveraging the extensive data gathered by its robotic fleet over the past five years. The core of this initiative is a dedicated physical AI laboratory, spearheaded by Professor Bolei Zhou from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

New Leadership and Focus on Automation

The announcement, made on Tuesday, revealed that Professor Zhou has also accepted the position of chief AI scientist at the Los Angeles-based startup. Coco Robotics originally relied on remote human operators to assist its robots in navigating challenging delivery routes when it was founded in 2020.

Zach Rash, co-founder and CEO of Coco Robotics, explained to TechCrunch that the company’s ultimate objective has consistently been to achieve fully autonomous operation for its last-mile delivery robots, thereby reducing overall delivery expenses. He indicated that the company has now amassed a sufficient volume of data to significantly advance its automation efforts.

Data as a Key Asset

“The millions of miles of data we’ve collected in complex urban environments represent a crucial resource for training robust and dependable real-world AI systems,” Rash stated. “We’ve reached a point where the data scale is substantial enough to genuinely accelerate research in the field of physical AI.”

Strategic Partnership with Professor Zhou

Rash described the decision to appoint Zhou as a natural fit, highlighting his research expertise in computer vision and robotics, particularly as it relates to micromobility solutions rather than larger vehicles. A pre-existing collaborative relationship was already in place.

Both Rash and his co-founder, Brad Squicciarini, are UCLA alumni and have previously provided one of their robots to the university’s research facilities. This existing connection facilitated the partnership.

Recruiting Top Talent

“Professor Zhou is a globally recognized leader in robot navigation, reinforcement learning, and related research areas that are directly relevant to our work,” Rash commented. “He has already successfully recruited several leading researchers with whom he has collaborated previously to join Coco Robotics and expedite our progress.”

Separate from OpenAI Collaboration

This newly established research lab operates independently from the company’s ongoing collaboration with OpenAI. The OpenAI partnership allows Coco Robotics to utilize OpenAI’s AI models, while simultaneously granting the AI research lab access to the data collected by the company’s robots.

Internal Use and City Collaboration

Currently, Coco Robotics intends to utilize the insights and research generated by the lab exclusively for its own internal improvements. Rash confirmed that there are no plans to commercialize the data by selling it to competitors.

The focus will be on enhancing the automation and efficiency of the company’s robots, specifically the local models they employ. Furthermore, the company plans to share relevant research findings with the cities in which it operates, aiming to address obstacles and infrastructure issues that impede robot performance.

Focus on Affordability and Growth

“The success of this lab will be measured by our ability to deliver a superior service at a remarkably low cost,” Rash concluded. “Our priorities are reducing expenses and making this technology more accessible to both businesses and consumers, which we believe will drive substantial growth within the entire ecosystem.”