Amazon acquires robotic doorstep delivery provider RIVR

The RIVR TWO robot is designed to climb stairs and drop off packages at the doorstep. Source: RIVR

Physical AI and robotics developer RIVR was acquired by Amazon.com Inc., the company’s CEO announced on LinkedIn today. RIVR uses quadruped robots for doorstep delivery. The companies did not disclose financial details of the transaction.

With the company now part of Amazon, could we soon see quadrupeds delivering packages? Paolo Pirjanian, founder and former CEO of Embodied Inc., became vice president of last-mile delivery automation at Amazon in October 2025.

“This step will accelerate our vision of building general physical AI through doorstep delivery, bringing robotics and AI closer to real-world deployment at scale,” Marko Bjelonic, co-founder and CEO of RIVR, said in his post.

“I’m incredibly proud of what RIVR built, and even more excited about what we will accomplish next at Amazon,” he continued.

RIVR has been on Amazon’s radar

RIVR caught Amazon’s attention in 2024, when Jeff Bezos led the company’s $22 million seed round through Bezos Expeditions and HongShan. The round also included participation from the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund.

“For more than a decade, we’ve been inventing and experimenting with robotics and assistive technology across our operations,” an Amazon spokesperson told The Robot Report. “In many cases, these efforts have led to safer work environments, while simplifying operational processes and improving the customer experience. This acquisition reflects our commitment to a continued investment in research, which we believe has the potential to further improve safety outcomes and the overall delivery experience for Delivery Service Partners (DSPs) and their Delivery Associates (DAs).”

Amazon had shut down its own Scout delivery robot program back in 2022. That robot had six wheels and was tested in Seattle, Southern California, Atlanta, and Franklin, Tenn. Amazon said at the time that it did not meet customer expectations.

The Robot Report reached out to RIVR for additional comment, but did not hear back as of press time. This story will be updated with more details as they become available.

From Swiss-Mile to Amazon

Swiss-Mile spun out of the Robotics Systems Lab at ETH Zurich, which had worked with the ANYmal quadruped. It won an RBR50 innovation award in 2021 for its addition of wheels to a legged robot.

The Zurich, Switzerland-based company rebranded as RIVR in early 2025. RIVR used a Unitree robot as its base.

RIVR then shifted from enabling its robots with embodied AI to placing more emphasis on building physical AI for last-mile delivery. The company also launched in the U.S. and designed its own systems, including the RIVR TWO.

In May 2025, RIVR worked with Veho, an alternative parcel-delivery platform, to introduce its wheeled-legged robots to the streets of Austin, Texas. In August, it partnered with Just Eat Takeaway.com, a food delivery platform, to bring its technology to Europe. Its first deployment was in Zurich.

Unlike other sidewalk delivery robots that can’t handle stairs or a curb, RIVR said its robots can handle stairs, gates, uneven paths, and other real-world terrain. Combining wheels and legs enables the robots to travel at up to 15 kph (9.3 mph) while remaining flexible. Similar to sidewalk delivery robots, the orders are secured in a cargo bin on top of the quadruped.