Coco Robotics taps UCLA professor to lead new physical AI research lab

Coco Robotics, a startup recognized for its innovative last-mile delivery robots, is set to elevate its efforts in artificial intelligence by establishing a new research lab. Leading this initiative will be Bolei Zhou, a distinguished professor from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), who has also joined the company as chief AI scientist. The announcement, made on Tuesday, marks a significant step for Coco Robotics, which initially relied on teleoperators to guide its robots through complex delivery routes since its inception in 2020. According to co-founder and CEO Zach Rash, the ultimate aim has always been to achieve full autonomy for their delivery robots, thereby reducing costs. With five years of data gathered from millions of miles traveled in challenging urban environments, the company is now poised to delve deeper into automation research. "This data is crucial for developing reliable AI systems that can function in real-world scenarios," Rash stated. He believes that the company has reached a data scale sufficient to significantly enhance the advancement of physical AI technologies. Bringing Zhou on board was a straightforward choice for Coco Robotics. His research expertise in computer vision and robotics, particularly concerning micromobility solutions, aligns perfectly with the startup's objectives. The collaboration is not new; both Rash and co-founder Brad Squicciarini are UCLA alumni and have previously contributed a delivery bot to the university's research initiatives. Zhou's reputation as a leading researcher in robot navigation and reinforcement learning is highly regarded, and he has successfully attracted top-tier researchers to join the lab at Coco Robotics. The new lab will operate independently of the startup's existing partnership with OpenAI, which allows for the integration of OpenAI’s models while providing access to the valuable data collected by Coco’s robots. Currently, the startup plans to utilize insights from the lab to refine its automation processes and improve operational efficiency without selling the data to competitors. Additionally, Coco Robotics intends to share relevant research findings with the municipalities where they operate to address infrastructural challenges that hinder their robots’ performance. Rash emphasized that the primary goal of the lab is to enhance service quality while drastically lowering expenses. "We are focused on making delivery services more affordable for both businesses and consumers, which we believe will drive substantial growth in the industry," he remarked.