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DoorDash describes 'Dot' delivery robot to transportation committee, members press safety and liability questions
Summary
DoorDash representative Jake Holmgren presented the company's personal delivery device, 'Dot,' to the interim joint committee on transportation, providing safety features and Kentucky usage data; lawmakers asked about miles of operation, monitoring staff, and whether liability limits should be higher.
Jake Holmgren, DoorDash's Southeast government relations lead, told the interim joint committee on transportation that the company is testing a sidewalk‑traversing delivery robot called "Dot" and that the device is intended to supplement—rather than replace—human Dashers for short (3–5 mile) runs.
Holmgren said Dot is manufactured in the U.S. and described its safety systems and size: "Dot... can hold up to 30 pounds of cargo, which would be an unusual circumstance... she weighs about 350 pounds, and our top speed is 20 miles per hour." He said the robot has 360‑degree cameras, lidar, lights, audible alerts and two‑way radios to enable communication with human monitors and, in an incident, with law enforcement or individuals on site. Holmgren also provided company figures for Kentucky operations, saying the platform had over 150,000 active Dashers, more than 15,000 merchants, roughly $700,000,000 in DoorDash sales in 2025 and about 35,000,000 deliveries.
During questions, Senator Williams asked how many miles Dot has accumulated and whether DoorDash has safety data; Holmgren said the company has "about 200,000 miles on the road already from jurisdictions we operate in" and reported no major safety incidents or injuries. Representative Donworth described a near‑miss with a campus delivery robot and urged higher liability coverage, saying, in part, "I've also almost hit 1 of them" while explaining his concern about public safety and multi‑vehicle incidents. Senator Clemons pressed on remote monitoring staffing ratios; Holmgren said monitoring is not one‑to‑one and described a centralized monitoring model but could not provide an exact person‑to‑robot ratio on the record.
The committee did not vote on a bill at this meeting; members requested additional data and asked DoorDash to work with legislators on liability and monitoring questions as the company and state consider how to regulate personal delivery devices.
