Inside Arrive: CEO Dan O'Toole on Pioneering ALM Delivery

With a vision to revolutionize the landscape of autonomous last-mile delivery, Arrive Technologies offers AI-powered Autonomous Last Mile (ALM) and Mailbox-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform, facilitating the secure and seamless movement of goods and packages among people, robots, and drones.

Under the leadership of CEO Dan O’Toole, Arrive Technologies embraces the belief, “Now is the time to Arrive. Autonomous deliveries are a reality today, and the direction for tomorrow.” With this guiding principle, the company alleges to deliver tangible returns for businesses and advantages for consumers.

In an exclusive interview with Triton Market Research, Mr. O’Toole shares his insights on Arrive’s diverse offerings optimizing delivery efficiency, the latest industry collaborations, and strategic expansion plans.

Q1) Could you provide an overview of Arrive’s Autonomous Last Mile Mailbox-as-a-Service platform and how it enables the secure movement of goods and packages between people, robots and drones?

Our vision is that carriers, couriers, and delivery services will adopt autonomous last-mile (ALM) technologies, in the form of drones and rolling robots, to perform delivery and pickup for businesses and consumers because of the significant cost savings projected by using ALM. ALM is projected to be six times more affordable by robots and 20 times more affordable by drones, according to ARK Invest. 

We see Arrive as the leader in supporting ALM delivery and pickup, and a key aspect of capturing those cost savings for the service providers that will be passed to businesses and consumers in the form of cheaper delivery options and services.

In practice, delivery personnel and automation will be granted temporary access to mailboxes using encrypted codes and biometric authentication, enabling one-time secure delivery and pickup transactions. Once a package, meal, or service is delivered, the customer will receive a notification about their package’s arrival, and they can retrieve it using a unique access code or biometric verification at their convenience. This process combats porch piracy by ensuring packages remain safe and protected until retrieved by the intended recipient.

Arrive smart mailboxes will deliver convenience to consumers by eliminating the worry about package theft, damage from the elements, or inaccurate delivery. For businesses, our mailboxes enhance operational efficiency by streamlining the delivery process, making it more accurate and reducing the risk of lost or stolen packages. 

Q2) How does Arrive’s AI-powered Autonomous Last mile platform integrate with current urban infrastructure to enhance delivery efficiency?

This is a process that will require iteration as the infrastructure changes over time. Right now, humans can easily access our devices. We are also ready for drone deliveries once they become more commonplace. However, currently, federal approval and orchestration of how package delivery companies will map out routes is slowing that rollout. 

With robotics, we have already seen the need for some adoption in hospitals that are eager to automate their campuses, but they will need to ensure doors are big enough for robotic devices to get through. The devices will have to be able to wirelessly communicate with elevators and navigate accurately.  

Our units, ahead of the curve in many ways, will keep pace and assist with this transition. We will soon open a testing area where future users can explore all aspects as we work together to fully disrupt package delivery. Specifically regarding AI-powered capabilities, this is also part of the progression, requiring further development to support drone and robotic-powered ALM services, along with enough utilization to generate the volume of data that empowers AI. Thus, we are leading the way once again.

Q3) In what ways do Arrive Points ensure package security, particularly in the context of temperature-sensitive medical deliveries?

Our smart mailboxes offer a secure and weather-resistant storage solution, protecting packages from damage caused by environmental factors, which is essential for many medicines or tissue samples. These items can cost tens of thousands of dollars per shipment and can help save lives. 

Organizations needing that kind of service would tell us that detail when they arrange for transport. However, on this subject, our safeguards for accurate delivery are equally important. Pharmacies cannot risk that their medicines are delivered to the wrong doorstep. We have committed to using the best biometric authentication technology to ensure delivery is to the intended person and only that person. We see this as a game-changer for pharmacies and those dealing with any sensitive product.

Q4) What are the most significant challenges Arrive faces in scaling the Mailbox-as-a-Service platform to new markets?

Our primary challenge is probably the pace of ALM adoption, which necessitates couriers, carriers, and delivery services to obtain the federal approvals required to help roll out their autonomous delivery networks at scale – a prerequisite for us to scale effectively and for the benefits of our approach to truly manifest. It is important to remember that we are not the shippers; rather, we represent the last inch of the autonomous last mile. 

We have devoted a decade to developing our solution, and we are now witnessing the market recognize the same vision we have long pursued. Recent pilot projects show that autonomy is indeed the way to go. The limited number of customers, both businesses and consumers, involved in those pilot projects absolutely love it. Companies are also quickly recognizing the significant cost savings and improved customer satisfaction it brings.

Q5) What has been Arrive’s approach to fostering partnerships and collaborations - and can you share any that are underway?

We love to collaborate and have had great success in enhancing our first-to-market patented technology. AirBox Technologies, for example, is a recent acquisition. Founder Brandon Pargoe developed some great patented tech that we have absorbed into our company. He is now a key part of our team. 

We are also working with nVIAsoft’s Verihand technology to ensure our authentication software is truly the best in the world. Verihand employs whole-hand multi-modal pattern recognition to create a unique biometric and purely digital identity. This non-invasive, highly accurate identity verification technology uses a touchless sensor to identify the unique pattern of veins on an individual’s hand. The greater number of reference points spread across a hand makes the nVIAsoft solution more accurate than other available options. This accuracy will be key for hospitals, pharmacies, and other companies that handle highly sensitive products.

Q6) What measures are in place to ensure the smooth operation of autonomous delivery networks during peak times or unforeseen disruptions?

We will need to experience that to be 100% sure we have the solution, but that is what our testing ground is all about: putting theory into practical application. Again, we are not just the deliverers; we are the end solution. However, you can be sure we’ll be working on those challenges and trying to head them off.

Q7) How does Arrive’s platform incorporate machine learning to predict and enhance delivery routes and package handling?

This is something we have in development, but it will require higher volumes of ALM usage and data before we have a better handle on it at scale. However, there clearly is little limiting how it will work - the technologies and capabilities to do it are here today. As ALM scales, our units will have a treasure trove of data supporting both directions of the supply chain - inbound delivery and outbound pickup. 

There are more than 165 million postal addresses in the US alone, with over 36 million packages delivered each day. Volume is expected to eclipse 262 Billion parcels delivered annually by 2026. Arrive will be able to intelligently learn a lot about those deliveries, and customers and companies will receive better experiences, lower costs, and inform better shipping decisions because of it. That is just the beginning of a richer and more affordable ALM future based on our units, network, digital platform, and the AI/ML therein.

Q8) Can you discuss any plans for the expansion of Arrive’s services into new geographic regions or industries?

We are already in Antigua, courtesy of our acquisition of AirBox, which had been operating there for quite some time. As we deploy initial capabilities into the field, our primary focus is on the US. It’s been a decade in the making, and we are ready to go!