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NICKI Minaj may have been off the mark when she declared 'starships were meant to fly'.
However, she might be surprised learn that instead of flying, the Starships' main pursuit will be fast food delivery courtesy of Domino's Pizza.
Just over three months since Domino's Group (ASX: DMP) acquired the Joey's Pizza chain in Germany, the food-preneur has now announced its latest product which will see Starship Technologies' ground-based autonomous robotic carts delivering pizza orders throughout Europe.
Within the next two months, Starship-developed robots will be circling deliveries across a one-mile radius of selected German and Dutch Domino's stores.
Customers will be able to place their order through the Domino's app and wait for the delivery to show up at their doorstep in the futuristic container which only the purchasor has the ability to unlock.
Domino's Group CEO and managing director Don Meij says the partnership it has developed with Starship Technologies is an important step into the world of automated delivery.
"We are a global company and we are eager to progress innovative technology in all of the countries in which we operate," says Meij.
"We are very excited to be partnering with Starship as it brings regular deliveries by robot one step closer to commercial operations."
It's not the first time that Domino's has conscripted robots to deliver, as DRU ground-based robots and DRU Flirtey drones have completed successful trials in New Zealand.
Meij admits that within the next decade, the Domino's fleet of delivery drivers will be overwhelmed due to the company's upward trajectory.
"With our growth plans over the next five to 10 years, we simply won't have enough delivery drivers if we do not look to add to our fleet through initiatives such as this."
Starship Technologies recently secured $17.2 million in seed funding capital to accelerate the development of its pilot programs in Europe and the US.
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