Pretty soon, ordering pizza will never be the same, as Domino's has recently announced that it plans to roll out an innovative, high-tech delivery service within the next few months. Akin to Amazon's plan to use drones for delivery, Domino's is planning to roll out Domino's Robotic Unit (DRU), the company's first robot delivery service.
So why pizza? For Domino's, the question really is, why not? After all, the market is there, as could be seen by the widespread use of apps and other technologies in the market today. Thus, using self-driving delivery robots not only puts the pizza chain at the forefront of technology, but also puts the company closer to the hearts of pizza lovers all over the world.
The DRU unit is no joke, either, as the machine is built as a collaboration between Domino's and Australia-based robotic company Marathon Targets. The Australian firm is notable for developing some of the most advanced autonomous robots for the Australian Defense Force back in the late 2000s.
Apart from being extremely cool, the pizza delivery drone also features a number of very novel features, including light sensors that enable it to navigate freely through streets, a watertight, weatherproof exterior that makes it very durable, and most importantly, a built-in oven. Why the oven? To keep the pizzas hot, of course.
The machine is even equipped with several security features. After all, pizzas are among the most sought-after products in the world, so there's a very good chance that someone might want to intercept the machine and take the pizza inside. To prevent this from happening, the creators of the DRU unit programmed the robot to open up only after a very specific code is entered. The code, of course, is only given to the customers who initiated the order.
For now, Domino's is looking at initiating a test run of the DRU prototype in Australia. If the test runs are successful, the company plans on rolling out its high-tech delivery drone to other countries, as well.
"DRU is cheeky and endearing and we are confident that one day he will become an integral part of the Domino's family. He's a road to the future and one that we are very excited about exploring further," Domino's announced in a statement.
