The future is here.
First delivery, then Amazon drones, now self-driving cars. The future is here with a new line of autonomous pizza-delivery vehicles set to hit the streets of Houston.
Domino’s has partnered with tech delivery vehicle start up, Nuro, to begin delivering ‘zas to some Houston-area customers beginning this week.
“There is still so much for our brand to learn about the autonomous delivery space,” said Dennis Maloney, Domino’s senior vice president and chief innovation officer. “This program will allow us to better understand how customers respond to the deliveries, how they interact with the robot and how it affects store operations.”
Those interested in getting their pizzas delivered via robot will have to order from Domino’s Woodland Heights location through the company’s website. There, customers can make a special request to opt for the autonomous delivery vehicle. Once it’s been deployed, the app will send text updates to the customers of the vehicle’s location as well as a PIN number they’ll need to type in on the car’s touch screen upon arrival.
The robot, dubbed R2, uses thermal imaging as well as radar and 360-degree cameras to orient itself on roads and alleys.
“Nuro’s mission is to better everyday life through robotics,” said Dave Ferguson, Nuro co-founder and president. “We’re excited to introduce our autonomous delivery bots to a select set of Domino’s customers in Houston. We can’t wait to see what they think.”
Nuro is the same company that underwent a pilot grocery-delivery program in Houston last year.