Niantic Spatial partners with Coco Robotics for spatial AI in autonomous delivery

Niantic Spatial has formed a strategic partnership with Coco Robotics. Under the agreement Niantic Spatial will serve as a core infrastructure partner and will deploy its spatial AI tools and Visual Positioning System to Coco's robot delivery fleet. The Visual Positioning System supplies accurate localization in areas where GPS signals degrade or fail. It supports inputs from a range of 2D and 3D data sources and provides global coverage without pre-scanning. The companies state that the system offers greater reliability and consistency than other available solutions. John Hanke, chief executive of Niantic Spatial, said the promise of last-mile robotics is immense yet navigating city streets remains one of the hardest engineering challenges. Engineering teams from both companies will collaborate on spatial AI solutions for accurate geolocation where GPS fails and for precise navigation to pick-up zones. Zach Rash, co-founder and chief executive of Coco Robotics, said the partnership supplies reliable localization services that improve robot navigation and that the companies will explore further steps to increase safety and autonomy in any city. The arrangement builds on prior work by Coco in autonomy and safety. It is intended to set navigation standards for dynamic urban environments.