Ottobot will likely be trialed by Sodexo Australia at Rio Tinto’s Gudai-Darri village in Australia. | Credit score: Ottonomy
Residents and company at a distant mining village in Western Australia’s Pilbara area could quickly be served by a brand new apprentice – an Ottobot robotic delivering meals and different gadgets on to their lodging.
Rio Tinto wished to scale back the variety of assist staffers onsite whereas enhancing overhead and logistics. Sodexo Australia, which has 5,000 staff throughout greater than 100 websites, plans to trial the system on the mining firm’s Gudai-Darri village, north-east of Newman in Pilbara.
The residents reside in a secluded village whereas working on the mining web site. Meals service for the residents is offered onsite by Sodexo, together with a number of eating places and a basic retailer.
On-site supply for mining village residents
Mine staff are categorized as “fly in, fly out” (FIFO), which means that they will solely convey their private possessions that match of their baggage. The positioning is distant, lots of of kilometers from the closest metropolis, so the onsite services are their solely choice.
Staff can loosen up of their rooms or within the central recreation services on-site, they usually can order snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, meals, and different necessities from the My Village app on their telephones.
The gadgets are then loaded into the Ottonomy robotic’s insulated compartment by Sodexo employees, prepared for supply. When the robotic arrives, residents obtain a textual content message with a novel PIN code, permitting them to unlock the robotic’s compartment and gather their orders.
Speedy advances in robotics expertise have offered new alternatives to construct on the resident expertise at such mining camps, mentioned Adrian Lorenzin, senior director for tech, provide, and companies at Sodexo Australia.
“FIFO employees spend prolonged intervals away from house and work lengthy shifts,” he mentioned. “Sodexo’s focus is on enhancing the hospitality expertise for residents to allow them to get pleasure from a number of the conveniences they might have at house. Meaning making it as fast and simple as potential to order a snack and have it delivered straight to their lodging.”
“As autonomous robotics supply turns into extra frequent in our cities, for instance, in eating places and parcel supply, there’s nice potential to make use of the identical expertise in distant mining villages, giving residents extra selection and suppleness,” Lorenzin added.
Ottobots can autonomously ship meals and snack orders to residents wherever they’re within the village. | Credit score: Ottonomy
Ottobot designed for secure interplay
Ottonomy Inc. developed the supply robots. They function totally autonomously, safely navigating pre-mapped, geo-fenced routes throughout the village at strolling pace. Ottobot is designed to provide the correct of option to folks, autos, and different obstacles.
The venture, which builds on Sodexo’s autonomous retail retailer launched in January 2025 on the similar location, is delivered in partnership with Ottonomy and key model companions, together with Coca-Cola, Crimson Bull, Mars, and Smiths Chips. The robotic options their merchandise alongside common village menu choices.
“Coca-Cola is synonymous with refreshment and innovation,” mentioned a Coca-Cola spokesperson. “Partnering with Sodexo showcases how nice manufacturers and expertise can redefine comfort for useful resource employees.”
“Now we have engaged with Sodexo on a worldwide scale for the previous few years, and autonomous robots like our Ottobots are uniquely suited to difficult environments resembling mining,” mentioned Ritukar Vijay, CEO of Ottonomy. “Our core expertise aligns seamlessly with the imaginative and prescient of enabling hyperlocal deliveries, and this marks an thrilling starting for us as we enter the Australian market.”
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Ottonomy just lately launched its Ottumn.AI resolution to enhance the performance of orchestrating an Ottobot fleet. The platform encompasses a multi‑layer structure that unifies edge intelligence, infrastructure management, and cloud orchestration. The corporate was an RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award winner in 2023.
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