Robot cars made by driverless technology company will deliver prescription medicine to CVS customers in Texas
- The company Nuro will launch robot cars in Texas starting in June
- It will start with autonomous Toyota Prius’ and move to its driverless R2 vehicle
- Customers will be able to order online and pick up medicine at the curb
- Cars will start with one safety attendant and will eventually switch to driverless
The driverless car startup Nuro is deploying its fleet of robocars in Texas to deliver people’s prescriptions.
According to the company, its fleet of tiny self-driving cars will start delivering prescriptions next month to CVS customers in Houston at no extra charge.
The company says it will start making deliveries with its autonomous fleet of Toyota Prius’ and then switch to its smaller and more dedicated robot, the R2.
Nuro will eventually roll out its R2 robot car in Texas to deliver medication to CVS customers
For now, a safety driver will be accompanying the cars until Nuro switches to its completely autonomous R2.
Eligible customers in three zip codes will be able to use the CVS website or the company’s pharmacy app to order prescriptions online.
Nuro says that it will also eventually expand to other pharmacies outside of CVS.
If customers select the autonomous delivery option, Nuro says it will send one of its self-driving Prius’ to deliver medicine ‘curbside’ at the customer’s address within three hours.
To ensure that the medicine is being delivered securely, customers will have to confirm their identification to unlock their delivery when Nuro’s autonomous vehicle arrives curbside at their home. Deliveries will be free to all CVS Pharmacy customers.
While Nuro has already deployed its self-driving technology for other deliveries centering around food and groceries, this is the first time it will venture into the healthcare space.
Last year, Nuro tested its robot vehicles, the R1 to deliver Dominos pizza to some customers in Houston.
Once the robot car arrived at its destination, customers met the vehicle and used a special pin provided to them upon ordering to unlock the hatch and collect their delivery.
Nuro is among the top companies pioneering driverless vehicles without any steering wheel or sideview mirrors and received an exemption in the US to mass-produce its products earlier this year.