Pizza maker Domino’s has this week unveiled details of a new robot it has created to provide an autonomous delivery service in the form of the new Domino’s Robotic Unit, otherwise known as the DRU.
The four wheeled driverless pizza delivering Domino DRU vehicle was unveiled in Brisbane Australia yesterday and has been developed with help from Australian startup Marathon Robotics.
Domino’s CEO and Managing Director Don Meij explained that the robot is currently being tested semi-autonomously to ensure that everything is functioning correctly before it is allowed to complete fully autonomous deliveries.
This highlights what can happen when disruptive thinking is fostered — it turns into a commercially viable and revolutionary product. It allows Domino’s to explore new concepts and push the boundaries of what is possible for our customers. The DRU prototype is only the first step in our research and development as we continue to develop a range of innovations set to revolutionise the entire pizza ordering experience.
This is a long journey, even when DRU hits the streets, we will still be constantly monitoring him for complications. Things will always go wrong along the way and DRU will always be about safety first,” he said. “It seems pretty crazy to us that 1.5-2 tonne vehicles deliver a few hundred grams of pizza.
The Domino’s Robotic Units cost US$30,000 to create and is capable of speeds between 18 to 20 km/h. The vehicle weighs 190 kg although is not expected to hit the streets of Australia just yet. But when it does it will be navigating using Google map data obtained by dominoes GPS tracking technology and is capable of navigating around of schools such as pedestrians, footpath bridges and obstacles it may encounter. Check out the video below to learn more about this new way to deliver pizzas which is expected to be implemented in the near future.
Source: Gizmag
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