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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDomino’s is trialling an autonomous pizza delivery robot
Pizza delivery boys and girls, beware! Pizza giant Dominos has unveiled an autonomous pizza delivery robot that is being trialled in New Zealand.
On Friday the company unveiled the Dominos Robotic Unit (DRU), and announced that the bot had already carried out its first successful pizza delivery on March 8. DRU is an autonomous delivery vehicle and is set to take the world by storm, the company wrote in a statement on its website.
The vehicles development started in 2015 and was pushed towards commercialisation by Dominos Australia-based skunkworks DLab. According to a promotional video (embedded below), DRU uses software developed by the Australian military contractor Marathon, which manufactures autonomous robots with obstacle-avoidance capabilities.
This feature has been incorporated in DRU, which according to Dominos can dodge hurdles thanks using on-board sensors. The autonomous four-wheeler is about one metre tall and contains two different compartments to keep beverages cool and pizzas (up to ten per robot) hot, which customers can unlock with an order-specific code. It can carry out a delivery within 20 kilometres from the store before needing a battery charge, and it is designed to move on both footpaths and roads.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/03/dominos-pizza-delivery-robot/
tabasco
(22,974 posts)Sad but true.
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)as fair game. Pathetic, but true of the US, just like they killed the robot going cross-country hitching rides, etc.
longship
(40,416 posts)I can tell that you've never tried to eat a Dominoes pizza before. Take my advice. Don't even try. Save yourself.
The pizza would be safe in their little robot. But yeah, the robot would get stripped clean, leaving the pizza behind.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)Who could harm a cute robot?
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)hobbit709
(41,694 posts)longship
(40,416 posts)He also helped found the totally idiotic Thomas More Law Center which disastrously lost the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District federal court case in PA, which thankfully killed Intelligent Design in public school for all time.
Plus, they DO make horrible pizza!!!
mr clean
(170 posts)They will cost the company too much to make.
Last I heard the drivers are part-time and drive own cars. Can't compete with that.
paulthompson
(2,398 posts)Check out my essay about automation and the election:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511494371#post8
Zing Zing Zingbah
(6,496 posts)to get to the delivery location.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)"Adjust fire. Right 5, add 10--and try not to hit the kid in the doorway this time."
JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,375 posts)woolldog
(8,791 posts)I love it.
JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,375 posts)This curmudgeon wants pizzas from people, dammit!