Niantic Spatial Partners with Coco Robotics on VPS Navigation

Niantic Spatial, a technology company spun off from the developer of the augmented reality game Pokemon Go, has announced a partnership with Coco Robotics to enhance navigation for the firm's autonomous delivery robots using a visual mapping system built from player-submitted images.

The collaboration, revealed this week, integrates Niantic Spatial's Visual Positioning System, or VPS, into Coco Robotics' fleet of sidewalk-based delivery machines. These robots, which have completed nearly half a million deliveries of groceries and goods in cities across the United States and Europe, will combine VPS with their existing GPS and onboard cameras to achieve location accuracy within a few centimeters. The technology is particularly effective in urban canyons and indoor settings where satellite signals degrade due to tall buildings or obstructions.

At the core of VPS is a database amassed over the past decade from more than 30 billion images captured by Pokemon Go players worldwide. Launched in 2016, the game encouraged users to explore real-world locations to interact with virtual creatures, often using their phone cameras and GPS. Starting in 2020, an optional in-game feature called...