tech
March 16, 2026
How chasing Pikachu helped robots find your address
Nearly a decade after Pokemon Go forced millions of people to chase virtual creatures through parks and dark alleys, it turns out that fun had a hidden purpose. The company Niantic announced that billions of photos taken by users during the game were used to train food delivery robots. Your quest for Pikachu actually helped Coco Robotics' robots learn how to navigate sidewalks with accuracy of just a few centimeters.
TL;DR
- Pokemon Go player-submitted photos, amounting to billions, were used to train delivery robots.
- Niantic utilized these images to develop a visual positioning system for Coco Robotics' delivery robots.
- The game's augmented reality feature effectively created a 3D map for AI training.
- This system allows robots to navigate urban environments with centimeter-level accuracy.
- Similar data collection practices are seen in Google's CAPTCHA tests, which also train AI models.