Startup begins unmanned delivery service in Arizona

Nuro started by partnering with Kroger to deliver groceries in Scottsdale.

Nuro has staked a claim as the first company to launch an unmanned delivery service to the general public.

The startup previously announced a partnership with Kroger to deliver groceries to select residents of Scottsdale, Arizona. The pilot project started with a fleet of self-driving Toyota Prius hybrids while the team readies its dedicated pod-like delivery vehicle, known as the R1.

"The R1 features world-class self-driving software and sensing hardware, redundancy across every critical driving system, and a lighter and nimbler footprint than a standard car," says Nuro co-founder Dave Ferguson.

In the initial development phase, the R1 vehicles will be continuously monitored by robot operators who can take over control at any time. The approach is presumably aimed at accelerating rollout without having finalized software.

The startup eventually aims to expand into new cities, offer more services and launch more autonomous vehicles.