In this month of mobility, the iFood News has already presented one of the sustainable modes in which iFood has been investing efforts: the drones. Still on the challenges of urban mobility and the search for means of transport that use clean and renewable energy, another mode that promises to help iFood achieve the goal of iFood Regenerates – pillar of foodtech sustainability – of having at least 50% of deliveries made by non-polluting modes is the ADA robot.
ADA, developed by iFood in partnership with Synkar (a Brazilian company specializing in artificial intelligence), is an autonomous, 100% electric and environmentally friendly vehicle. It can carry up to 30kg and has an autonomy of 12 hours. As an internal lighting system that uses ultraviolet (UV) rays, it is capable of eliminating microorganisms and increasing delivery safety.
“Seeking non-polluting solutions that streamline logistics are fundamental to improving the experience as a whole and ensuring a future with less and less impact on the environment”, says Fernando Martins, Head of Innovation at iFood. He explains that the company's objective with ADA is to complement the range of modes in a smarter, safer and more sustainable way. “It is a sustainable delivery method that adds high technology and which, alongside other formats, can optimize and make delivery more agile.”
The initiative is among the actions of the iFood Regenerates. “In this way, iFood is on its way to being the first Brazilian delivery company to offer a positive environmental impact. The idea is to continue growing, but always in a responsible way”, says Martins.
Eco-friendly delivery
Since August this year, the ADA robot Open during business hours at Shopping Iguatemi Ribeirão Preto. Upon receiving the signal from the iFood application, ADA follows its route, autonomously, to the indicated restaurant. After collecting the order, go to a meeting point, where a courier picks up the order and delivers it to the iFood Hub – a space strategically located in the shopping center to facilitate the distribution of the order to the delivery person who will deliver it to the consumer. Opening the ADA for placing and withdrawing the order works using QR Code technology and is only done by authorized people.
Origin of the name ADA
ADA was the name chosen to name iFood's autonomous and sustainable robot. This was a tribute to mathematician and writer Ada Lovelace, known mainly for writing the first algorithm to be processed by a machine.
“The choice of the name has to do with our purpose, which is to continue breaking paradigms, just as Ada Lovelace did”, explains Fernando Martins.
