Amazon has taken another key step toward automating its logistics.The Information website reportedIt is alleged that Amazon has acquired Rivr (formerly Swiss-Mile), a Zurich-based autonomous robotics startup. This company, known for developing "quadrupedal wheeled delivery robots that can climb stairs," is seen as a key asset for Amazon in tackling the doorstep delivery challenge.
Although neither party has disclosed the specific terms of the transaction, this acquisition highlights Amazon's accelerated efforts to scale up its "General Physical AI" in the real world.
When the handling within warehouses has become highly automated, the biggest pain point and cost in the logistics industry lies in the "last fifty meters" from the truck to the consumer's doorstep—and a seemingly insignificant staircase is often a chasm that traditional wheeled robots cannot cross.
"A dog wearing inline skates": A hybrid design that defies terrain limitations.
Rivr, conceived by ETH Zurich, has a uniquely shaped quadrupedal wheeled robot as its core product. Rivr co-founder and CEO Marko Bjelonic once described the design as "a dog on roller skates."
Compared to the purely wheeled delivery robots commonly found on the market, which are easily limited by curbs or steps, or the purely quadrupedal robot dogs, which are inefficient and power-consuming on flat ground, Rivr's hybrid design perfectly combines the advantages of both: it can glide at high speed and energy-efficiently on flat sidewalks using its wheels, and when encountering steps or complex terrain, it can flexibly traverse them using the joints of its limbs. This terrain adaptability is the key to truly achieving "delivery to your doorstep."
Amazon's founders had long been focused on this strategic move, from initial investment to a full-scale acquisition.
Back in 2024, the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund and Bezos Expeditions, the family office of founder Jeff Bezos, had already invested a whopping $2220 million in Rivr's seed funding round. Prior to the full acquisition, the startup, which had raised a total of $2500 million, was valued between $1 million and $1.1 million. From early strategic investment to eventual merger, this demonstrates Amazon's extremely high level of confidence in the commercialization prospects of this technology.
Real-world testing and the expansion ambitions of "general-purpose entity AI"
Regarding commercialization, Rivr partnered with package delivery company Veho last year to launch a pilot testing program in Austin, Texas. At that time, Marko Bjelonic set a goal to leverage this practical experience to expand the robot fleet to 100 units by 2026.
With the injection of Amazon's massive resources, this goal will obviously be significantly advanced. Marko Bjelonic instatementThe report states that this acquisition will "accelerate our vision of creating 'universal physical AI' through home delivery, bringing robotics and AI closer to large-scale real-world deployments." In short, Amazon will provide the necessary funding, data, and extensive logistics testing scenarios, allowing Rivr's robots to reach more consumers' doorsteps as quickly as possible.
