The Robot Delivery Boom

Good Monday Morning

It’s June 9th. Donald Trump’s order regarding travel from 19 countries became effective overnight. 341 million people from 12 countries are completely barred from entering the U.S., while another 84 million from 7 others face restrictions.

Today’s Spotlight is 1,058 words, just over 4 minutes to read.

3 Headlines to Know Now

PayPal Drops from Google Wallet

Google Wallet will stop supporting PayPal in the U.S. on Friday, forcing users to switch to cards or bank accounts.

Virginia Limits Teen Screen Time

After banning phones in schools, the state now caps social media use to one hour daily for kids under 16, which raises questions about enforcement and the ease with which teens will just route around it.

Meta Courts Hollywood For VR Edge

To challenge Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro, Meta is offering millions for exclusive VR content from studios like Disney and A24 to power its sleeker “Loma” device, expected to launch priced under $1,000.

Perplexity Hits 780M Search Queries as AI Ambitions Grow

By The Numbers

George’s Date Take

You may hear more about this number this week, and 25 million daily search queries is impressive, but Google is still your main player and focus.

Perplexity’s current volume is 3% of the purple Bing line at the bottom and far less than 1% of Google.

Meta Accused of Covert Android Tracking

Running Your Business

A new lawsuit claims Meta secretly linked Android users’ mobile browsing to their Facebook and Instagram profiles using a localhost exploit, violating California privacy laws until halting the practice this week.

Silver Beacon Behind the Scenes

If true, this is the single stupidest thing that Meta has ever done. Their monumental FTC case just concluded a couple of weeks ago. Judge William Boasberg, famous for his role in the Trump Venezuelan deportations, is presiding and has yet to issue a ruling.

I’ve worked in an organization that had a previously signed consent decree. Violating it willingly is an invitation to harsh penalties. Mark Zuckerberg’s smartest move was keeping control instead of allowing a board to oust him if this truly happened.

The bots are here, and business will never be the same

Delivery robots used to be a futuristic gimmick. Now they are everywhere, carrying food and groceries across campus and through neighborhoods. When we started covering them six years ago, there were only 24 bots at George Mason University.

Today, Starship Technologies alone fields 2,000 bots in 150 locations, delivering everything from snacks to full grocery runs. That first generation has spawned a wave of robot siblings on wheels, wings, and legs. Those robots can range up to two miles, carry as much as three grocery bags, and run for 18 hours on a single charge.

Now, their younger siblings are arriving fast.

Delivery By Drone

Robots in the sky are no longer science fiction. Drone delivery is rolling out fast and scaling up.

Wing, owned by Google parent Alphabet, just expanded drone delivery to 100 Walmart stores across Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa. Their three year old program already covers 18 Walmart stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Wing drones deliver to spots you pick in your driveway or backyard, often in as little as 15 minutes. The company boasts that its speed means hot meals or even ice cream stay fresh.

Using satellite maps, people use an app to choose a drop spot about the size of a picnic basket. The drone flies at 150 feet, then descends to about 20 feet above the target to lower the package.

Robots on the Move

A Rivr dog-shaped robot with four wheels can climb stairs and will ride in a Veho delivery vehicle in a new beta test. The experiment is if a robot can successfully accompany a human driver and make deliveries right to the customer’s door while the driver handles other tasks. The robot follows customer instructions on the order and sends a photo of the finished delivery through the app.

Meanwhile, Amazon is building an obstacle course the size of a store to test two legged delivery robots. They plan to use Rivian vans. Amazon owns 16 percent of that automaker and will ferry delivery bots to neighborhoods. As with the Veho project, drivers could focus on multiple deliveries or other tasks, letting the bots handle the door to door work.

Why It Matters

Delivery robots are a business necessity for companies chasing speed, scale, and cost savings. Amazon alone ships more than 1.6 million packages every day. To handle that volume and reach even more customers, Amazon is betting on delivery robots, automation, and a $4 billion push into rural zip codes.

Every efficiency matters. When a single driver can serve multiple deliveries by deploying robots, the business math changes. Fewer human drivers, more automated drop offs, and faster delivery time means that whoever owns the delivery robot advantage is on track to own the future of e-commerce.

Google’s VEO 3 Delivers Stunningly Real AI Video

Practical AI

The latest version of Google’s video generator creates high-resolution, cinematic footage with realistic motion, lighting, and camera moves from just a text prompt. Here’s an amazing instagram clip for you.

Don’t Use One Browser For Everything

Protip

Privacy experts recommend using different browsers (although not Chrome) for different tasks. Separating work, social, and sensitive browsing makes it harder for companies to track you.

SNAP Would Take a Hit Under House GOP Plan

Debunking Junk

Millions of families could lose food benefits if the House GOP plan becomes law according to Poynter Institute’s Politifact. That directly contradicts claims made in social media and on television by House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Cheetos’ Weird, Different Shape Hunt

Screening Room

DNA Startup Ranks Embryos

Science Fiction World

Nucleus Genomics offers $5,999 reports predicting disease risks, IQ, and height of up to 20 embryos while raising fresh fears of modern eugenics.

Old Phones Become Ocean Data Hubs

Tech For Good

Researchers turned discarded phones into underwater micro-hubs that track sea life and cut e-waste at a unit cost of about $10.

Bigfoot Sightings Correlate With Bear Populations

Coffee Break

New research shows reported Bigfoot encounters increase in areas with more black bears, as much as one sighting per 5,000 bears, but we totally believe that you saw what you say you saw.