Domino’s Pizza unveiled their first robotic employee this week: a pizza delivery machine called DRU (Domino’s Robotic Unit).
The company says DRU has successfully delivered pizzas in Queensland, Australia. Next, it’ll head to New Zealand for more trials.
The robots stand less than a metre high, with four wheels and a “friendly persona,” according to a news release from Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Limited (DEPL).
“DRU is cheeky and endearing and we are confident that one day he will become an integral part of the Domino’s family,” DEPL New Zealand General Manager Scott Bush said in the release.
The robot was made from a former military prototype, and uses technology from Australian start-up Marathon Robotics.
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The robots will travel on foot-paths and will be able to detect obstacles in its way, according to the release.
But there are still “a number of regulatory hurdles and challenges before they’re delivering pizza on New Zealand streets.”
And as for Canadian streets?
There’s no word on when the autonomous delivery drivers will come to Canada. But they will be coming, Domino’s New Zealand spokesperson Emma Barnes told Global News.
“Once DRU is ready for implementation we will be proud to roll out across all international markets where he would be permitted,” said Barnes.
Domino’s Canada – though it uses the same branding – isn’t part of DEPL, which operates in New Zealand, Australia, France, Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands and Japan.
Domino’s isn’t the first company to get into the game of delivery robots. Amazon has been testing delivery drones for a while, though the company hasn’t said whether or not the drones would be coming to Canada.
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