Driverless pizza vehicle trial could go ahead in NZ

The New Zealand government is lobbying to have the latest gimmick from pizza chain Domino’s [ASX: DMP] tested here.

The ASX-listed company has revealed the prototype for a small driverless four-wheeled buggy called Domino’s Robotic Unit (DRU), which has sensors to navigate obstacles and a compartment to keep food hot and drinks cold.

Transport minister Simon Bridges says New Zealand is one of just a few countries in the world being considered for testing the technology. 

“This is an exciting opportunity for New Zealand. DRU is an early prototype, but the fact that New Zealand is being considered as a test site shows we have the right settings to attract innovation,” Mr Bridges says.

“Over the last 12 months I’ve been actively and aggressively promoting New Zealand as a test bed for new transport technology trials. Our enabling laws and regulation means we have the ideal environment to trial all forms of technology.”

A spokeswoman for Mr Bridges says no public money has been invested to date enticing the trial here, and there have been no discussions or suggestions about public money being invested in the future.

(See Guinea Kiwis? New Zealand and the tech giants experimenting on it)

Domino’s Group chief executive Don Meij says the vehicles are intended to open up new opportunities and “create an impetus” for innovation for Domino’s both globally and in New Zealand.

“This highlights what can happen when disruptive thinking is fostered - it turns into a commercially viable and revolutionary product,” he says.

“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.”

The DRU is powered by start-up company Marathon Robotics and the idea was developed by Domino’s internal innovation lab.

According to Mr Meij, autonomous drones and vehicles still need to pass a number of regulatory hurdles and challenges before the DRU can deliver pizzas on New Zealand streets.

The DRU has been tested in a controlled environment in Australia with special permission from the Queensland Department of Transport.

The DRU was operated in “semi-autonomous mode” to ensure it complies with current regulation but Domino’s wants the next test to be fully autonomous.

“The possibility of DRU making an appearance in the trial and testing phase in New Zealand is very real, and is something we are excited about,” Domino’s NZ general manager Scott Bush says.

“We are working with the Ministry of Transport and the NZTA to ensure all relevant legislative requirements are met and we are pushing hard to get DRU on New Zealand roads in the near future.”

The company has a history of fast food innovations, such as its GPS Driver Tracker. However, Domino’s faced accusations of stealing the technology. It denied doing so.

Domino’s stock price has risen approximately 58% in the past year to $56.80.

See a Domino’s Q&A about the DRU here.

UPDATE: “It can handle itself”
Other country candidates for DRU tests include France, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Japan but Domino's Mr Bush says many are not in a position to actively test in an autonomous environment.

As for how durable the vehicle is (in the case of drunk students ordering a pizza and wanting to mess with the DRU, for example), Mr Bush says the design of DRU came about "because of safety.

"The evolution of DRU will include additional safety, for example, 360 degree cameras. The DRU is also pretty heavy, around 190kg, so it's sturdy and is actually from military designs so can handle itself," he says.

"We are also considering the safety of the public – the DRU can detect objects in front of it and avoid them as necessary."

At the moment customers have to input a security code for the order to activate and DRU to open.

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