The future has arrived and it is carrying a tin of baked beans and a multi-pack of toilet rolls.
A trial involving ‘driverless’ deliveries of online orders of groceries is being launched by in with more locations to follow.
In this case ‘driverless’ is not exactly what it says on the tin, for the vehicle is actually manned by two people – one to make sure it safely navigates the roads and a second to deliver to the doorstep.
However, assuming the technology proves to be safe, all internet grocery deliveries could be delivered without the need for anyone to be behind the wheel.
The deliveries will be made via a Jaguar iPace using navigation systems developed by the tech company Wayve.
Wayve will pave the way for more ‘driverless’ tech, backed by machine learning, in the UK
The cars will still have two members on staff on board to navigate and deliver groceries
The year-long trial covers a catchment area of 72,000 households in London, making it the largest such trial in Europe.
The Wayve self-driving vehicles will join Asda’s existing online delivery operation at the Park Royal superstore in west London and have the capability to drive themselves to customers’ homes.
Customers can place their next-day delivery orders online as usual, choosing from the full range of online products and selecting a delivery slot that suits them.
The only difference is they could be randomly selected to have their order delivered in a self-driving vehicle.
The retailer is the UK’s second largest online supermarket, with over 20 per cent of the market and delivers more than 800,000 orders every week.
Wayve’s system uses machine learning to train its AI software to learn from experience how to drive in any environment.
This results in AV technology that is not geo-fenced by highly detailed maps or pre-defined routes and can autonomously drive anywhere in its urban domain, even to places it has never been to before.
The system is designed to constantly monitor the road, identifying potential hazards and so make the safest decisions possible.
Asda’s vice president for eCommerce, Simon Gregg, said: ‘Asda has long understood the value of bringing tech innovation to the online grocery sector and we are always looking at new and innovative partnerships to improve delivery options for customers.
‘We believe autonomous technology is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of delivery, planet88 not only at our Park Royal store but throughout our nationwide operation.
‘Through our partnership with Wayve, we are trialling this technology to understand how it can assist our busy store operations, whilst also adding a unique, reliable and efficient option for Asda customers to have a whole range of products delivered to their doors.’
The Wayve trial with ASDA will be the largest of its kind in Europe, driving forward AV tech
Customers can place their next-day delivery orders online as usual, choosing from the full range of online products and selecting a delivery slot that suits them
The co-founder of Wayve, Alex Kendall, described the initiative as the ‘largest urban autonomous grocery delivery trial in Europe’.
He said: ‘Trials like this one accelerate our road to deployment.
‘They provide the learnings required to bring the benefits of AV technology to customers sooner while ensuring that businesses, like Asda, are prepared to deploy AVs at scale.’