Yesterday was a terrible day for news, as every April Fool’s seems to be, as the internet is filled to the brim with smart aleck writers who want to pull one over on their readers. Not here of course, but one story that is worth noting is one that Dominos posted. While a little ridiculous, it does show us that one day we may be looking at a world of driverless delivery vehicles – even if they don’t look quite so strange as the ones showcased in the faux news item.
In the CGI enhanced demonstration videos released yesterday, we see the automated vehicles in all of their two wheel glory. They feature a spinning LIDAR on their roof, several locker systems for storing pizzas and a camera system on the front with a pair of adorable eyes, which if they were real would in no doubt be used to ingratiate the little guys with the public.
In the above video, we’re shown what a drop off would work like. Buyers would pay over the phone for their food and this little guy would race on over, storing the pizzas in self-heated containers to keep them warm, dropping them with the buyer before speeding off to a new location.
“Whilst driverless vehicles once sounded like science fiction, it’s now within our grasp,” said Domino’s Pizza UK marketing director Simon Wallis of the faux technology. “Harnessing this innovation for pizza delivery opens up a new world of opportunities for us.”
Of course he’s kidding – or at least acting serious as part of the story – but that doesn’t really matter as this is the sort of technology that will exist in the near future. Amazon is already looking at drone delivery technology, so why, when automated vehicles are a viable options for travel, wouldn’t we utilise them for delivery services first, where the worst thing that happens if something goes wrong, is some food is spoiled?
However if they are ever implemented, I hope the pizza chain takes a little more time to come up with its name for the new driverless delivery system, as Domi-no-driver seems a bit weak.
What do you guys think? Would you be happy for your pizza to be dropped off by an automated vehicle? I suppose one downside is that it wouldn’t be brought up to your apartment. If you don’t live on the ground floor, that would be quite a pain in the neck.
