February 2026 updates from URF

Feb 12
2 min read

In the February 2026 issue of our enews bulletin, we highlighted a number of publications, conferences, and stories that are contributing to a shift in society's readiness for public-area mobile robots and related technologies.

New WHITEPAPER: Robots in Public

Building the Governance Framework for Shared Human-Robot Spaces

URF is pleased to be co-author of this whitepaper along with ASTM International, MassRobotics, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

The Executive Summary is now available for review and comment prior to publication of the final whitepaper later this spring. Please click the link to review and comment.

Milestone Achievement & Acquisistion Announcement

In mid-December, URF member, Serve Robotics, the self-described "sidewalk delivery robot" company backed by Nvidia and Uber, announced that it had officially achieved its 2025 goal of deploying more than 2,000 delivery robots, creating the largest sidewalk delivery fleet in the U.S. as demand for safe, sustainable, and cost-efficient last-mile delivery continues to accelerate. This milestone represents the company delivering on its 2025 goals on time, on plan, and on budget.

Then, on January 20th, 2026, Serve announced they are expanding into healthcare with their latest acquisition: Diligent Robotics, a startup that builds robots named Moxi designed to assist in hospitals by delivering lab samples, supplies, and other tasks.

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone at Serve on these exciting milestones!

Municipal Use-cases for Urban Robots

Cities are under pressure to maintain more assets with fewer resources, while also improving safety, reliability, and sustainability. Urban mobile robots are starting to bridge the gap, not as experiments, but as practical tools for inspection, monitoring, and routine maintenance in public space.

As public-area mobile robots (PMRs) move from pilots into everyday public space, the focus is shifting from technical capability to governance, standards, and long-term deployments.

One of URF's founding members, Capra Robotics, has designed and manufactures autonomous mobile robots built for outdoor conditions, repeatable missions, and integration into existing workflows. The shift isn’t about replacing people. It’s about giving maintenance teams better coverage, better data, and safer ways to operate.

On March 3rd, the team from Capra Robotics will contribute to discussions at the Robotics Industry Showcase 2026 in Milton Keynes.