Domino unveils pizza delivery robot

Domino’s, a pizza company that courts a reputation for dabbling in technological innovation, has debuted its idea for a delivery-person-free future.

While it’s clearly not quite there yet, Domino’s has been working on removing the humans from its pizza buying experience for a while.

In 2014, the company announced its “virtual ordering assistant” DOM, which lets you talk to a dad-joke-telling digital voice on the phone to order your pie.

And in 2015, Domino’s Easy Ordermade it possible for hungry customers to order by tweeting a pizza emoji.

That brings us to DRU, Domino’s Robotic Unit. This month, the company tested out the delivery bot in Australia on small restricted paths.

According to Lifehacker Australia, DRU can travel at a little more than 12 miles per hour, so it’s not suited for the highway.

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DRU was developed by Marathon Robotics, a company that made autonomous robots for the Australian Defense Force.

In a press release, Marathon said “We are proud to also be part of this world-first innovation in pizza-delivery technology and its potential for saving lives, saving time, and moving goods more efficiently.”

(Saving lives? Yes, my pizza delivery was late, but I was in no mortal danger. And Domino’s says incidents in which drivers are endangered happen “infrequently.” But who’d say no to a safer pizza delivery experience?)

Right now, DRU is still just a prototype, but the four-wheeled bot can currently find its way to doorsteps using LIDAR, and use sensors to avoid obstacles.

It keeps your order at just the right temperature with two compartments that separate steamy pizza from cold drinks.

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