This was probably inevitable, but we’re still not sure if we’re quite ready to be living this far into the future.
Domino’s Australia is getting ahead of the global game by introducing a world-first robotic pizza delivery unit, with the company unveiling the prototype in Brisbane last night.
DRU – Domino’s Robotic Unit, geddit? – is a GPS-powered, standalone little unit on wheels that the company (probably) hopes will take the place of severely underpaid delivery drivers everywhere, simultaneously saving them literal tens of dollars as well as erasing a tried-and-true porn scenario in one fell swoop.
The robot is the product of military technology (what could possibly go wrong there?) and startup company Marathon Robotics, and utilises the Domino’s-developed in-house GPS technology.
Domino’s World First Autonomous Delivery Vehicle
Meet DRU – The newest team member to join the Domino’s family! He’s the world’s first autonomous pizza delivery vehicle!DRU has a passion for delivering piping hot meals and a nice warm smile to customers. While he won’t be taking to the streets tomorrow, he is enjoying his early progress as a prototype and giving customers a glimpse into the future of what is possible. We’re excited to welcome DRU into the team and we’re sure you’ll love getting to know him and his cheeky personality!#DRU #DominosAU #MoreThanJustPizza #TheFuture #GameChanger
Posted by Domino’s Australia on Thursday, 17 March 2016
The little guy can reach speeds of up to 20km/h, and is designed to travel on footpaths, bike paths, and trails. Laser guidance technology is built-in to ensure DRU doesn’t smash his face into any surprise obstacles like a giant loser.
When the robot arrives at its destination address, the customer (you, who is hungry 4 pizzy) plugs a security code into their phone, which then tells the robot to unlock its inner chest of deliciousness so that the humans may feast on the gooey goodness inside.
Autonomous drones and cars still face a huge uphill battle in order to be approved and regulated for use on Australian roads, so DRU might be a little ways off being street-legal just yet.
Domino’s CEO Don Meij lauded the new vehicle as a step forward for the technology as a whole, and hopes DRU’s development will make the path to regulation easier for other self-driving vehicles.
“With autonomous vehicles opening up possibilities for saving lives, saving time and moving goods more efficiently, we look forward to continuing our work in this field and leading the commercial trials.”
Advancing futuristic technology through the majesty of pizza. That’s exactly the kind of science we can fully get behind, TBH.
‘Course you can’t argue with a late pizza-delivering-robot until he gives you your food for free because I don’t get paid enough to deal with this shit, for fuck’s sake. So there’s a fundamental flaw right off the bat.
Photo: Domino’s/Facebook.
