---
key: mechanic/automation-programming--t111
type: mechanic
id: automation-programming--t111
lang: en
title: 'Robots, drones and autonomous delivery'
summary: >-
  Autonomous delivery assigns carriers to requests using capacity, routes and
  available energy.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/automation-programming--t111/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/automation-programming--t111.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/automation-programming--t111.md
aliases:
  - Robots and autonomous delivery
tags:
  - Automation and programming
  - Mechanics and variants
sourceIds:
  - source-96be186d8ada50a0
  - source-8fa2811c61684f9e
sources:
  - id: source-96be186d8ada50a0
    title: 'Factorio: Content'
    url: 'https://www.factorio.com/game/content'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-8fa2811c61684f9e
    title: Factorio
    url: 'https://wiki.factorio.com/File:RoboTrainStation_small.gif'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: automation-programming
    id: t111
    title: Automation and programming
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/automation-programming/#t111'
    categoryIds:
      - mechanics
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: Robots and autonomous delivery
    description: >-
      Autonomous delivery assigns carriers to requests using capacity, routes
      and available energy.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/systems-factorio-logistic-robots.webp
      width: 420
      height: 336
      game: Factorio
      sourceUrl: 'https://wiki.factorio.com/File:RoboTrainStation_small.gif'
      originalUrl: 'https://wiki.factorio.com/images/RoboTrainStation_small.gif'
      sourceFrameSeconds: 0.3
      credit: >-
        Wube Software; capture by Cardinal via Official Factorio Wiki, updated
        for 2.0.41
      rights: >-
        Game graphics © the respective rights holders. Source screenshot
        attribution retained; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.
      caption: Robots handle resource transfers beside a railway
      alt: Robots handle resource transfers beside a railway
      markers:
        - x: 49
          'y': 30
          label: Flying carriers connect stations with storage locations
    tips:
      - 'Show the request, available carrier and reason for any delivery delay.'
    examples:
      - title: Factorio
        url: 'https://wiki.factorio.com/File:RoboTrainStation_small.gif'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on
  2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design
  examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests.
  Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not
  every proposed variant.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/automation-programming
---
# Robots, drones and autonomous delivery

id: automation-programming--t111
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/automation-programming--t111
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/automation-programming--t111/

Autonomous delivery assigns carriers to requests using capacity, routes and available energy.

## At a glance

![Robots handle resource transfers beside a railway](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/systems-factorio-logistic-robots.webp)

[Factorio](https://wiki.factorio.com/File:RoboTrainStation_small.gif) · Game graphics © the respective rights holders. Source screenshot attribution retained; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.

[Source recording](https://wiki.factorio.com/images/RoboTrainStation_small.gif), 0.3 s

1. Flying carriers connect stations with storage locations

- Show the request, available carrier and reason for any delivery delay.

- [Factorio](https://wiki.factorio.com/File:RoboTrainStation_small.gif)

## How it works

Autonomous delivery assigns carriers to requests using capacity, routes and available energy.

## Variants

### Mechanic variants

<a id="t111-variants"></a>

- Requests set a desired item stock level. <a id="t111-v1"></a>
- Batching combines compatible deliveries. <a id="t111-v2"></a>
- Charging creates a robot service queue. <a id="t111-v3"></a>
- Fallback routes avoid an inaccessible region. <a id="t111-v4"></a>

## Design example

Drones stop serving a distant depot when their remaining charge cannot cover the return trip.

Prototype check: Test deliveries when recipients disappear and the return rule for cargo already picked up.

## Context and limits

Automation moves repeated work into a system; the player builds connections and identifies the limiting stage. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.

- [Factorio: Content](https://www.factorio.com/game/content) (id: source-96be186d8ada50a0)
- [Factorio](https://wiki.factorio.com/File:RoboTrainStation_small.gif) (id: source-8fa2811c61684f9e)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors