Uber Eats Showcases Google Assistant Voice Orders and Robot Delivery Services
Uber Eats introduced a voice ordering feature through Google Assistant at its Go/Get 2022 event this week. Google Assistant users will be able to ask the voice assistant to order their chosen dishes from a specific restaurant through Uber Eats without needing to touch their device, as demonstrated by actress Ilana Glazer in the video above.
Uber Eats Voice
Asking Google Assistant for food from a restaurant will automatically activate the app. The voice assistant will confirm the choices ordered and make any requested changes. Once confirmed, Google Assistant will submit the order like any standard Uber Eats purchase. The feature is arriving globally this summer, though only on Android devices and only in English at first.
There have been surveys indicating people would like to order food by voice for years now. Uber Eats’ plan is somewhat similar to the Grubhub Alexa skill introduced in 2017, except both Grubhub and its sister brand Seamless seem to no longer have Alexa skills available on the Skills Store. Google unveiled its own food ordering option through Google Assistant, Search, and Maps in 2019, but that service struggled early on with adding participating restaurants, not an issue for Uber Eats.
“For the moments you don’t have an extra hand, we’re bringing you a new way to order your food,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi explained. “We’ve integrated Google Assistant into Uber Eats so you can get your favorite meal, snack, and other necessities simply by using your voice. Just say “OK Google,” and ask your phone to order a meal from a restaurant on Uber Eats.”
The voice ordering announcement came as part of a set of new products and services from Uber Eats. The company is testing out delivery to locations within sports stadiums and venues for people who don’t want to get up during an event. Uber Eats is also running a pilot program with two autonomous delivery robots in Los Angeles. One is a small drone robot built by Postmates spin-off Serve Robotics, and the other is a self-driving car built by Motional, which runs a whole fleet of autonomous vehicles. Restaurants will place prepared orders into the delivery bot, which will then take the order to its destination.
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