HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Be on the lookout, Houston. You might see a bot roaming the streets.
Coco, a food delivery company, recently launched remotely piloted devices in a partnership with four Houston-area restaurants. The robots are active and deliver food to southwest Houston and Montrose-area customers.
[Ads /]
"What you see is what you get," said Joshua Hawkins with Coco. "The bot itself is run electronically, human-piloted. It's fully LED. It's got front and rear lights. Plus, sidelights and a flag light so people can see it coming at nighttime."
Hawkins said five cameras onboard the device give the pilot a live feed. They use GPS and cameras to navigate the bots to customers safely. Customers can then retrieve their orders and the bot returns to the restaurant.
Ling "JoJo" Wang, who owns the Trendy Dumpling off the Southwest Freeway near Edloe Street, said she welcomes the bots, and they're great for her business since half of her customers order delivery and takeout.
[Ads /]
"When I got the email from the robot company I was like, 'Wow, I'm so lucky,'" Wang said.
Coco said they're working on expanding in Houston. So far, they say, they've been accident-free since their March 21 launch.
Follow Steve Campion on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.