Stop & Shop plans to debut unmanned vehicles for grocery item delivery this year in the greater Boston area.
Shoppers can summon one of the vehicles using an app and then select from fresh produce, meal kits and convenience items when the vehicle arrives, according to a news release. The RFID and computer vision technology records which items are selected and sends the shopper a receipt within seconds.
The vehicles are electric, autonomous and remotely piloted from a Robomart facility, per the release. The vehicles will be restocked periodically to ensure quality.
“This is one way in which we’re leveraging new technology to make shopping easier for our customers — by essentially bringing the store to them,” Mark McGowan, Stop & Shop president, said in the release. “We also recognize that many of our customers want the opportunity to make their own choices when it comes to fresh produce, and we’re proud to be the first retailer to engage with Robomart to address our customers’ needs with their cutting-edge solution.”
Stop & Shop is partnering with San Francisco-based Robomart on the project.
“For decades, consumers had the convenience of their local greengrocer and milkman coming door to door, and we believe that by leveraging driverless technology we can recreate that level of convenience and accessibility,” Ali Ahmed, founder and CEO of Robomart, said in the release. “We’re extremely excited to bring our vision to life with Stop & Shop, one of the most pioneering and forward-thinking grocery chains in the world.”