Ford and Domino’s Pizza to Test Self-Driving Pizza Delivery Cars

Ford and Domino’s Pizza are collaborating on a new research project to see how self-driving cars can work for pizza delivery and will take a look at consumer reactions as they interact with autonomous vehicles. Part of the reason why the automaker is taking part in the project is to investigate customer perspectives regarding self-driving cars and their role in food delivery.

Patrick Doyle, president and CEO of Domino’s Pizza, said the company has been keeping an eye on autonomous vehicle development and believes the consumer research with Ford will help the company see how feasible they are as delivery vehicles. Ford says companies like Domino’s will be integral in discovering where self driving technology can be applied.

The research project will be conducted in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Ford and Domino’s Pizza will randomly select customers and deliver their pizza with an autonomous Ford Fusion Hybrid with safety engineers and researchers inside the car. However, customers need to agree to participate to be able to take part in the project, and once they agree, they will be able to track the delivery vehicle using an upgraded version of Domino’s Tracker. Customers will also get text messages once the vehicle is nearby with instructions on how to take their pizza out of the vehicle using a unique code.

Domino’s USA president Russell Weiner says that the company is interested in what people think of getting their pizza delivered by autonomous vehicles. He notes that customers’ reaction to getting their food from a self-driving car is one of the key points of interest and whether the delivery experience changes in an effort to make the process as seamless as possible when Domino’s eventually transitions to autonomous vehicles.

Roush Enterprises is also part of the project and was responsible for modifying the prototype vehicle and fitting it with Domino’s Heatwave Compartment. Preliminary testing in self-driving mode  has also been finished by Ford and Domino’s at Mcity, a simulated urban environment located at the University of Michigan.

Source: Ford

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