The Driverless Digest: Meet Dot: DoorDash’s Accelerated Autonomous Local Commerce Solution (Curbivore 2026)

Join Harry and Harrison Shih of DoorDash Labs at the just concluded Curbivore conference as they discuss DOT, delivery automation, and what’s next.

Harry Campbell

2 min read
Last updated May 5, 2026

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Join Harry and Harrison Shih, Senior Director at DoorDash Labs, DoorDash for a fireside chat from the recently concluded Curbivore conference. They dive into DoorDash’s push into autonomy, with a focus on their latest delivery robot, DOT, and how it fits into a broader shift toward multimodal delivery. The conversation covers everything from the timing behind automation to how cities, consumers, and logistics networks are evolving alongside it.

They also unpack where DOT fits within DoorDash’s ecosystem, how the company collaborates with cities, and what real-world use cases are emerging today versus what’s coming next.

Curbivore 2026 brought together leaders across autonomy, delivery, and mobility in downtown Los Angeles for a full day of panels, firesides, exhibitions, and street food, focused on the ideas shaping the future of the curb and cities. You can check out the highlights clip here to get a feel for the event, and we’ve curated recordings of the panels, firesides, and speeches here. Also check out hundreds of our event photos here.

We’re bringing that same energy to our next Urban Autonomy Summit in Detroit on June 9. After that, we’ll be in Austin this fall and back in San Francisco in the winter for our next series of AV summits.

Listen to The Driverless Digest With Harrison Shih

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and Substack. Transcripts are also available by clicking on the “transcripts” button in the top right corner of this post.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction
(00:40) Harrison’s background and the philosophy behind DoorDash Labs
(02:29) DOT robot specs and design philosophy
(04:00) Why now is the right moment for delivery automation
(04:59) DOT’s role in a multimodal delivery ecosystem
(07:10) How DoorDash works with cities to automate delivery
(10:15) Problems autonomy solves in delivery
(12:32) Key use cases for DOT
(14:00) Consumer behavior trends in delivery
(15:44) The “other half” of the delivery equation, alongside autonomy
(19:37) How autonomous delivery evolves in cities over time

Watch The Podcast On YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/embed/dJ9mmRbXs9g

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