Meet DRU, Domino's Pizza Delivery Robot
We welcome our new pizza droid overlords.
It looks like Domino’s Pizza is ready to take pizza delivery to its logical next step: robots. The worldwide pizza chain is rolling out DRU (or the Domino’s Robotic Unit) across Queensland, Australia as part of a collaboration with local tech start-up Marathon Targets.
The vehicle’s prototype was built with the cooperation of local authorities to make sure it met street safety standards. As far as what’s under the hood, DRU uses LIDAR — the same technology found in self-driving cars — and built-in GPS tracking technology that coordinates with Google Maps to identify the vehicle’s surrounding environment and calculates the safest and fastest route from Point A to Point B. As far as the safety of your pizza is concerned, don’t fret: the droid’s twin insulated storage units lock while in transit and require a mobile code to open.
Domino’s also maintains that while the prototype will be tested in Australia, the brand does have global aspirations for this technology; however, it will take nearly two years for DRU to make regular appearances on Australian streets, so there’s some time to wait before the Pizza Singularity is upon us all.
