The RIVR TWO robotic is designed to climb stairs and drop off packages on the doorstep. Supply: RIVR
Bodily AI and robotics developer RIVR was acquired by Amazon.com Inc., the corporate’s CEO introduced on LinkedIn right now. RIVR makes use of quadruped robots for doorstep supply. The businesses didn’t disclose monetary particulars of the transaction.
With the firm now a part of Amazon, might we quickly see quadrupeds delivering packages? Paolo Pirjanian, founder and former CEO of Embodied Inc., turned vice chairman of last-mile supply automation at Amazon in October 2025.
“This step will speed up our imaginative and prescient of constructing common bodily AI via doorstep supply, bringing robotics and AI nearer to real-world deployment at scale,” Marko Bjelonic, co-founder and CEO of RIVR, mentioned in his publish.
“I’m extremely happy with what RIVR constructed, and much more enthusiastic about what we are going to accomplish subsequent at Amazon,” he continued.
RIVR has been on Amazon’s radar
RIVR caught Amazon’s consideration in 2024, when Jeff Bezos led the corporate’s $22 million seed spherical via Bezos Expeditions and HongShan. The spherical additionally included participation from the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund.
“For greater than a decade, we’ve been inventing and experimenting with robotics and assistive expertise throughout our operations,” an Amazon spokesperson advised The Robotic Report. “In lots of circumstances, these efforts have led to safer work environments, whereas simplifying operational processes and bettering the shopper expertise. This acquisition displays our dedication to a continued funding in analysis, which we consider has the potential to additional enhance security outcomes and the general supply expertise for Supply Service Companions (DSPs) and their Supply Associates (DAs).”
Amazon had shut down its personal Scout supply robotic program again in 2022. That robotic had six wheels and was examined in Seattle, Southern California, Atlanta, and Franklin, Tenn. Amazon mentioned on the time that it didn’t meet buyer expectations.
The Robotic Report reached out to RIVR for extra remark, however didn’t hear again as of press time. This story might be up to date with extra particulars as they develop into obtainable.
From Swiss-Mile to Amazon
Swiss-Mile spun out of the Robotics Programs Lab at ETH Zurich, which had labored with the ANYmal quadruped. It received an RBR50 innovation award in 2021 for its addition of wheels to a legged robotic.
The Zurich, Switzerland-based firm rebranded as RIVR in early 2025. RIVR used a Unitree robotic as its base.
RIVR then shifted from enabling its robots with embodied AI to inserting extra emphasis on constructing bodily AI for last-mile supply. The firm additionally launched within the U.S. and designed its personal programs, together with the RIVR TWO.
In Could 2025, RIVR labored with Veho, an alternate parcel-delivery platform, to introduce its wheeled-legged robots to the streets of Austin, Texas. In August, it partnered with Simply Eat Takeaway.com, a meals supply platform, to deliver its expertise to Europe. Its first deployment was in Zurich.
In contrast to different sidewalk supply robots that may’t deal with stairs or a curb, RIVR mentioned its robots can deal with stairs, gates, uneven paths, and different real-world terrain. Combining wheels and legs allows the robots to journey at as much as 15 kph (9.3 mph) whereas remaining versatile. Just like sidewalk supply robots, the orders are secured in a cargo bin on high of the quadruped.
