Over the past several years, Kroger and other supermarkets have started offering programs like Kroger’s “ClickList,” a system in which you can order your groceries online and pick them up when they’re ready, or WholeFoods/Amazon’s two-hour grocery delivery. These handy services eliminate the oftentimes stressful trip through the grocery store and help you avoid an uncomfortable run-in with an old fling or the temptation to buy that frozen molten lava cake. They’ve set out to make our hectic lives just a little bit easier.
Well, great news, folks: You may never need to leave the house again.
Kroger and Silicon Valley robotics and engineering start-up Nuro announced this morning that they have teamed up in order to “redefine the grocery customer experience for Americans,” according to a press release by Kroger. The duo has set out to create a one-of-a-kind delivery system that involves autonomous transportation from the grocery store to your home. Just place an order through Kroger’s ClickList system and Nuro’s app and you can have your groceries delivered to you the same day — by a robot car. Nuro is the “maker of the world’s first fully unmanned road vehicle,” the release states.
“We are incredibly excited about the potential of our innovative partnership with Nuro to bring the future of grocery delivery to customers today,” said Yael Cosset, Kroger’s chief digital officer, in the release.
Dave Ferguson, co-founder of Nuro, continued, “Unmanned delivery will be a game-changer for local commerce, and together with Kroger, we’re thrilled to test this new delivery experience to bring grocery customers new levels of convenience and value. Our safe, reliable, and affordable service, combined with Kroger’s ubiquitous brand, is a powerful first step in our mission to accelerate the benefits of robotics for everyday life.”
The project is set to begin trials with the new technology this fall and markets will be announced soon.
This article appears in Jun 27 – Jul 4, 2018.