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Pokémon Go Players Unknowingly Trained Delivery Robots
Pokémon Go Players Unknowingly Trained Delivery Robots
 ### Rowan Cheung@rowancheung
Every Pokémon Go player unknowingly trained future robots.
Over the years, players photographed 30 billion images from cities around the world.
And now that data is teaching delivery robots to navigate streets.
Niantic (company behind Pokémon Go), spun out an AI company called Niantic Spatial that's turning years of player data into a visual positioning system for machines.
When 500 million people installed the game and pointed their phones at buildings, landmarks, and street corners, they were also capturing detailed location data that normal GPS can't match:
> GPS signals bounce off skyscrapers and lose accuracy by up to 50 meters in dense cities.
> That's a dealbreaker for sidewalk delivery robots that need to stop at exactly the right point.
> Niantic Spatial trained a model on those 30 billion images to pinpoint a robot's exact location based on what its cameras see, not satellite signals.
> Delivery startup Coco Robotics is the first partner, using the system to guide thousands of robots across LA, Chicago, and Miami.
Don't think anyone thought they were training robots when they were chasing Pikachu during COVID.Show More
01:17
Mar 20, 2026, 4:15 PM View on X
19 Replies
17 Retweets
78 Likes
16.4K Views  Rowan Cheung @rowancheung
One Sentence Summary
Pokémon Go players photographed 30 billion images worldwide, and Niantic is now using that data to power visual positioning systems for delivery robots.
Summary
This tweet reveals how data collected by Pokémon Go players over the years is now being repurposed for AI robotics. Niantic spun out Niantic Spatial to transform the 30 billion location photos into a visual positioning system that outperforms GPS in dense urban areas. The system addresses GPS limitations in cities where signals bounce off skyscrapers, causing up to 50 meters of inaccuracy - problematic for delivery robots needing precise locations. Coco Robotics is the first commercial partner, using this technology to guide thousands of delivery robots across Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami.
AI Score
82
Influence Score 31
Published At Today
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English
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Niantic
Pokémon Go
Delivery Robots
Visual Positioning
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