Domino's Pizza announced on Monday that it is partnering with robotics company Nuro to create a pizza delivery vehicle that is autonomous.
The unmaned vehicle known as R2 will begin delivering pizzas later this year as part of a test. Domino's said it is rolling out the technology at select locations in the Houston area.
Customers in the select areas will be given the option of having their pizza delivered by R2. They will then be given a pin to unlock the pizza from a compartment. Customers can also track the location of the R2 using Domino's smartphone app.
"We are always looking for new ways to innovate and evolve the delivery experience for our customers," said Kevin Vasconi, Domino's executive vice president and chief information officer. "Nuro's vehicles are specially designed to optimize the food delivery experience, which makes them a valuable partner in our autonomous vehicle journey. The opportunity to bring our customers the choice of an unmanned delivery experience, and our operators an additional delivery solution during a busy store rush, is an important part of our autonomous vehicle testing."
Nuro said it has raised more than $1 billion from investors to deliver goods from a number of local businesses, including grocery stores, restaurants and dry cleaners.
