Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Millions of Pokémon GO players thought they were just catching Pokémon.
In reality, since 2016, they’ve generated 30 billion real-world images for Niantic through AR scans.
Niantic used those scans to build a Visual Positioning System, then partnered with Coco Robotics, which uses that data to train delivery robots.
These robots compare what their cameras see to old Pokémon GO scans, allowing them to know exactly where the restaurant is, where the sidewalk ends, and how to reach your doorstep.
Millions of Pokémon GO players thought they were just catching Pokémon.
In reality, since 2016, they’ve generated 30 billion real-world images for Niantic through AR scans.
Niantic used those scans to build a Visual Positioning System, then partnered with Coco Robotics, which uses that data to train delivery robots.
These robots compare what their cameras see to old Pokémon GO scans, allowing them to know exactly where the restaurant is, where the sidewalk ends, and how to reach your doorstep.
