Right before the new year, Domino's Pizza introduced its new high-tech delivery truck called the DXP, a transformed Chevrolet Spark, which touts a built-in 140-degree oven and the ability to hold 80 pizzas, along with a cooling area for sodas and salads.
The aim is for every Domino's to eventually have a DXP vehicle at their disposal to ramp up their efficiency in delivering pizzas to their customers.
Now, the company is taking things a step further by introducing what it claims to be the world's first autonomous pizza delivery robot.
Developed in Australia, DRU (Domino's Robotic Unit) is set to debut in New Zealand's capital of Wellington, though Domino's tweeted that "an exact time frame is unknown" for its launch and that "it will vary while we work through policy and legislation regarding deployment."
Meet #DRU - Our newest team member and the world's first autonomous #pizza delivery vehicle! #MoreThanJustPizza pic.twitter.com/KFAltOBuko
— Domino's New Zealand (@dominos_NZ) March 17, 2016
Domino's says its 3-foot-tall robot will deliver "piping hot meals" and be equipped to greet you with a "cheeky personality" at the door, with CNBC adding that DRU will be able to hold up to 10 pizzas in its heated compartment, each unlocking with a unique code geared toward each customer's order. The website adds that the robot will be able to travel on roads and sidewalks, and will feature obstacle-detecting sensors to ensure that it's maneuvering around efficiently.
Although there's excitement about the rollout, there has also been quite the doubt in New Zealand that it will actually perform the task better than a human.
"I doubt this thing could out-perform a car going 50k [30mph], be able to open gates, climb stairs, dodge homeless people or avoid opportunistic thieves ready to pull it apart," James Stewart wrote on the Domino's New Zealand Facebook page, as spotted by CNBC.
About that latter concern, we hope that Domino's has somewhat safeguarded itself from having the actual DRU robot being messed with by customers or, worse, kidnapped altogether. Perhaps it will learn some ways to do just that during its imminent launch and testing period.
