Online grocer Ocado has teamed up with autonomous driving software company Oxbotica to build self-driving vehicles for itself and other retailers who use its tech solutions.
The vehicles could include self-driving forklifts and delivery vans, as well as robots to take deliveries to front doors.
Ocado, which has a track record of supplying third party retailers around the globe with the kit to build their own online platforms, has bought a £10m stake in Oxbotica as part of the deal, giving it a seat on the company’s board.
Alex Harvey, Ocado’s Head of Advanced Technology, said: “We want the entire end to end operation, ultimately, to be autonomous – from the receipt of stock to the warehouse all the way through to the customer’s door.
“From a customer’s perspective you open your door and outside you will see an autonomous van or another autonomous vehicle pull up outside your house, and most likely an autonomous robot will get out of that autonomous vehicle, will collect your groceries, and hand them to you at the doorstep.”
