Autonomous robots developer Starship Technologies has launched a pilot programme with Domino’s Pizza Enterprises to deliver food within a one-mile radius of stores in selected German and Dutch cities.
The new project will be run under the Domino’s Robotic Unit (DRU) and follows testing of both ground and air-based delivery solutions last year.
Don Meij, Domino’s group CEO and managing director, said the partnership was an important next step in bringing robot pizza deliveries to reality. “We are a global company and we are eager to progress innovative technology in all of the countries in which we operate – we are very excited to be partnering with Starship as it brings regular deliveries by robot one step closer to commercial operations,” he said.
The new delivery options will complement existing delivery methods, including cars, scooters and e-bikes but will also help combat potential shortages of drivers in the future, he claimed. “With our growth plans over the next five to 10 years, we simply won’t have enough delivery drivers if we do not look to add to our fleet through initiatives such as this,” he said.
Starship recently announced $17.2 million (€16.5 mil.) in seed funding, led by Mercedes-Benz Vans. The funding accelerates the development of pilot programs in Europe and the US.
Image credit: Starship Technologies
