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Domino’s to Trial Robots for Pizza Delivery

Past year the Government rewrote New Zealand’s drone rules, and a review into the laws for small driverless passenger vehicles is underway.

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Domino’s says DRU, which bears a striking resemblance to the robot EVE from Pixar’s WALL-E, has been built with “sleek, refined forms combined with a friendly persona”.

Domino’s has unveiled a new delivery method that will make pizza (and tech) lovers everywhere happy: a robot called DRU.

Don’t like your pizza delivery guy?

DRU, which could spell the beginning of the end of the pizza delivery boy, has a sensory system that uses lasers to move around obstacles in its path to travel unassisted to a customer’s address. It already made its first delivery according to Domino’s CEO Don Meij.

“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”.

“Over the last 12 months I’ve been actively and aggressively promoting New Zealand as a test bed for new transport technology trials”, he explains.

Domino’s has not given a timeframe for when DRU will be officially put to work on the street, but said it would be ready to be deployed following approval by several road and footpath legislative bodies.

The technology is being developed in Domino’s new Brisbane-based global innovation lab (DLAB) which opened in February.

“DRU is cheeky and endearing and we are confident that one day he will become an integral part of the Domino’s family”, the chain’s New Zealand general manager Scott Bush said.

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“On the one hand, the Government is wanting to support innovation and so on which is laudable, on the other hand they want to support population health…when the two sides don’t necessarily talk to each other, you end up in difficulties”.

The Domino's Robotic Unit. Image via YouTube