Yandex delivery robots launch in Astana

Yandex’s delivery robots are now operating on Astana’s streets, with a pilot service launched in the city’s Yesil district. The service currently covers only one area, but Yandex says the zone will gradually expand.

The pilot is being run by Yandex Qazaqstan in partnership with the Astana administration, city police, Astana Innovations JSC, and Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development. Unlike a technology demonstration in a controlled space, the robots are navigating ordinary streets alongside pedestrians, scooters, and parked vehicles.

How the Astana delivery pilot works

Residents can order through Yandex Go, using the Lavka section if their address falls within the pilot zone. Customers can choose between a conventional courier and a robot during checkout. Delivery is free for district residents at launch.

The robot travels at an average speed of about 6 km/h. It independently plans its route, identifies objects, gives way to pedestrians, slows down, and steers around obstacles. Once it reaches the destination, the customer unlocks the order with a smartphone.

Free delivery removes the price question during the initial test and lets the companies observe how the service performs in live urban traffic. The pilot also gives Yandex and city authorities a way to collect data on robot safety and behavior in a real environment.

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Yandex’s expansion beyond Russia

Yandex has already deployed robotic delivery in other cities. The service previously launched in central Almaty, while the robots have operated for some time in several pilot locations in Russia, including areas with many pedestrians and dense urban traffic.

Yandex’s next planned location in Astana is the Nura district. The source does not specify when that expansion will take place. Its progress will depend on safety, city restrictions, and service capacity.

The company is also extending a model that large companies have operated for years on short urban routes in the United States and China. The focus is the last mile, which typically consumes the most time and money in a conventional courier network. For Astana, the next test is not the launch itself but how the robots perform during their first months on the city’s everyday streets.