If you’re worried about robots taking over the world, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we may have just gotten one step closer. While there are already robots to do our yard work, make our coffee and build houses, there’s now a new one on the block that may soon show up at your house.
There is good news, however — this robot comes bearing pizza.
Pizza Hut will soon be collaborating with FedEx to test the idea of using the FedEx SameDay Bot to deliver your pizza order. Built to travel on sidewalks and roadsides, the Bot can navigate unpaved surfaces, curbs and even steps to deliver an oven-hot pizza right to your door.
Testing will begin this summer in select markets like Memphis, Tennesee, but if it goes well, there’s a chance many more of us will get robot-delivered pizza in the near future.
While Pizza Hut says the Bot will simply serve as support to existing delivery staff in “an effort to improve efficiency of the delivery process without compromising the quality of America’s favorite pizza,” I’m with you if you find it slightly unnerving (but also pretty cool).
“The FedEx SameDay Bot is an innovation being developed to change the face of local delivery and help brands, like Pizza Hut, address the growing needs of their customers,” Brie Carere, executive vice president and chief marketing and communications officer for FedEx said in a press release. “The FedEx bot looks to redefine delivery for this market in a manner that is cost-effective, safe and environmentally friendly.”
Pizza Hut is not the only company testing out the delivery bot — retailers like Walmart, Target and AutoZone have also signed on to see how it could help their business.
Curious about how the Bot actually works? Check out this video from FedEx to see it in action:
What do you think? Would you be interested in getting your pizza delivered by a robot?