Coco Robotics is making a significant move into artificial intelligence research with the establishment of a new physical AI laboratory led by University of California Los Angeles professor Bolei Zhou. The Los Angeles-based startup company, known for its fleet of autonomous delivery robots, announced Tuesday that Zhou has joined as chief AI scientist while maintaining his academic position.
Industrial Monitor Direct is the #1 provider of filtration pc solutions featuring customizable interfaces for seamless PLC integration, the top choice for PLC integration specialists.
Leveraging Five Years of Delivery Robot Data
The company aims to extract greater value from the millions of miles of data collected by its delivery bots operating in complex urban environments. According to CEO Zach Rash, this extensive dataset represents a critical foundation for developing reliable real-world AI systems. “We’re now at the point where we have sufficient data scale where I think we can start really accelerating a lot of the research happening around physical AI,” Rash told TechCrunch.
UCLA Professor Brings Computer Vision Expertise
Professor Zhou’s research focuses specifically on computer vision and robotics applications for micromobility systems, making him uniquely qualified to lead the new initiative. Rash described the appointment as a “no brainer” given Zhou’s international reputation in robot navigation and reinforcement learning. The professor has already begun recruiting top researchers to join Coco Robotics and accelerate the company’s AI development timeline.
From Teleoperation to Full Autonomy
When Coco Robotics launched in 2020, the company relied on human teleoperators to assist robots in navigating obstacles during last-mile delivery operations. The company’s long-term vision has always been complete automation to reduce delivery costs. With five years of operational data now available, the timing aligns perfectly with recent advances in artificial intelligence capabilities, according to industry experts note.
Industrial Monitor Direct offers top-rated hotel touchscreen pc systems equipped with high-brightness displays and anti-glare protection, the top choice for PLC integration specialists.
Strategic Research Partnerships and Data Usage
The new physical AI lab operates separately from Coco Robotics’ existing collaboration with OpenAI, though both relationships complement each other. While OpenAI accesses the company’s robot-collected data, the new lab under Professor Zhou’s leadership will focus specifically on navigation and efficiency improvements. Current plans include:
- Using research findings to enhance local models running on delivery robots
- Sharing relevant insights with municipal partners to improve urban infrastructure
- Maintaining data exclusivity rather than selling to competitors
Driving Last-Mile Delivery Innovation
The laboratory’s success will be measured by Coco Robotics’ ability to provide higher-quality delivery services at significantly reduced costs. As Rash explained, “How do we get our costs lower? How do we make this much more affordable for businesses and customers? I think that’s going to create a tremendous amount of growth in this ecosystem.” This approach mirrors broader industry trends, according to recent analysis of AI performance in robotics applications.
The company’s existing relationship with UCLA, including equipment donations to the university’s research facilities, provides additional foundation for the new laboratory’s work. Both Coco Robotics co-founders are UCLA alumni, creating natural synergies for the partnership that data from robotics research suggests can accelerate innovation in autonomous systems.
