Uber Tests Drone Food Delivery, Launches New Autonomous SUV With Volvo
WASHINGTON (CBS DETROIT/ AP) — Uber announced it is testing restaurant food deliveries by drone and it would work with Volvo Cars to build a vehicle capable of driving autonomously.
The company, who says the service should decrease food delivery times, plans to expand to other restaurants later this year with its Uber Eats unit.
How it works: Restaurant employees load the meal into a drone that is tracked and guided by a new aerospace management system. The drone will meet an Uber Eats driver at a drop-off location and the driver will hand-deliver the meal to the customer.
In the future, the company wants to land drones atop parked vehicles near delivery locations and secure them to the vehicle for the final mile of the delivery.
Uber and Volvo Cars partnered in September 2016. This is the third car they've developed together.
The partnership with Volvo Cars will allow vehicles to come off the assembly line capable of driving autonomously. The self-driving system will be installed in production versions of the Volvo XC90 SUV.
The vehicle's steering and braking systems are designed for computer rather than human control, including several backup systems for both steering and braking functions and battery backup power. If the primary systems fail, the backup system will immediately act to bring the car to a stop.
Volvo says various sensors will allow Uber's self-driving system to safely operate and maneuver in urban areas.
The announcements came on a day with a lot of activity in autonomous vehicle technology.
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