Amazon just bought a stair-climbing delivery robot
Amazon acquired Swiss robotics startup Rivr, whose four-legged wheeled robots climb stairs and deliver 30 kg of packages at 14 km/h — doorstep testing starts later this year.
Amazon just acquired Rivr, a Swiss robotics company that builds four-legged robots capable of climbing stairs and delivering packages directly to your door. The deal signals Amazon's most serious bet yet on replacing human couriers for the hardest part of delivery — the final stretch from the van to your doorstep.
A robot that goes where wheels can't
Rivr's machine isn't your typical delivery bot on wheels. It has four legs with wheels attached — imagine a dog on roller skates. This hybrid design lets it roll smoothly on flat ground at up to 14 km/h (about twice walking speed), then switch to stepping mode to climb stairs, hop curbs, and handle uneven surfaces that stop traditional wheeled robots cold.
• Speed: Up to 14 km/h (8.7 mph) — twice as fast as walking
• Payload: Over 30 kg of parcels, groceries, or food
• Battery range: 30+ km per charge
• Recharge time: 2–3 hours
• Navigation: Stairs, sidewalks, bike lanes, traffic lights, curbs
From ETH Zurich lab to Amazon's delivery fleet
Rivr spun out of ETH Zurich's Robotics Systems Lab in 2023 — the same Swiss university behind other robotics stars like ANYbotics. Originally called Swiss-Mile, the company rebranded to Rivr in 2025 to focus entirely on last-mile delivery.
Jeff Bezos was already watching. His family office, Bezos Expeditions, led Rivr's $22 million seed round in 2024. Amazon's Industrial Innovation Fund also participated. The acquisition, reported by TechCrunch on March 19, was a natural next step.
Already delivering food and packages in real cities
This isn't vaporware. Rivr's robots have already been tested in the real world:
• Zurich, Switzerland: Delivered food orders from restaurants in partnership with Just Eat Takeaway
• Regensdorf, Switzerland: Tested with Swiss Post for parcel delivery
CEO and co-founder Marko Bjelonic said the acquisition will "accelerate our vision of building General Physical AI through doorstep delivery."
Why Amazon needs this — and what happened to Scout
Amazon previously tried autonomous delivery with Scout, a small six-wheeled cooler-sized robot that rolled on sidewalks. The problem? Scout couldn't climb stairs. In a world where millions of deliveries end at apartment buildings, walk-ups, and homes with front steps, a ground-only robot simply couldn't finish the job.
Rivr solves that. Amazon's plan: a delivery driver drops off batches of packages at a building entrance, and Rivr robots handle the floor-by-floor, door-by-door delivery — navigating stairs, using intercoms, and snapping proof-of-delivery photos.
The bigger picture: Europe's robotics boom
Rivr isn't an isolated case. European robotics funding surged 130% in 2025, reaching €1.6 billion. ETH Zurich alone has produced multiple robotics companies now attracting global buyers. Amazon's acquisition follows Uber's $1.25 billion Rivian robotaxi deal announced the same week — signaling that Big Tech is racing to own the future of AI-powered physical delivery.
Amazon expects to begin doorstep delivery testing with Rivr's robots later in 2026. If it works, the stair-climbing robot that started in a Zurich lab could soon be delivering your Amazon packages — right to your front door, three flights up.
Related Content — Get Started with Easy Claude Code | Free Learning Guides | More AI News
Stay updated on AI news
Simple explanations of the latest AI developments