AutoX Launches Autonomous Grocery Delivery in California

AutoX is redefining the future of Location Based Services and bringing self-driving cars technologies to everyday lives. In providing autonomous delivery power to make everyday lives more convenient AutoX has partnered with GrubMarket to transport produce and snacks at customer’s doorstep using autonomous vehicle becoming the first such service to operate in California.  The service is currently available to customers located in geo-fenced areas throughout the city of San Jose.

Clients place orders at the e-commerce company GrubMarket by using an app from Apple’s App Store. GrubMarket sources fresh produce from various local producers. The purchased items are placed in the temperature-controlled trunk of a driverless Lincoln MKZ, at a dispatch center, and it then proceeds autonomously to the client’s address.

The client is alerted by the app when the car arrives, and the clients can then unlock the car using the app and pick up their order from its trunk. Also, the vehicle’s passenger-side rear window automatically rolls down, presenting the customer with a shelf of extra items that they might want to purchase on the spot. A computer vision system notes which items being taken off of the shelf and adds them to the bill. The cars’ GPS-guided artificial intelligence system makes use of relatively inexpensive high-resolution cameras to look down the road, and to detect obstacles such as pedestrians and other vehicles.

The service is currently available without any extra charges-only the cost of the groceries to be paid by the customer. The fees will be lesser than those for human delivery services eventually.

“We’re very excited to launch the first autonomous grocery delivery and mobile store service in the heart of Silicon Valley with self-driving vehicles on the road,” said AutoX Founder and CEO Jianxiong Xiao, a PhD from MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab and a pioneer in the research field of 3D computer vision and robotics. “We believe self-driving car technologies will fundamentally change people’s daily lives for the better.”

“AutoX is a true innovator in the autonomous driving industry, as evidenced by their pioneering self-driving delivery vehicle,” says GrubMarket CEO Mike Xu. “We are thrilled to combine the fresh and affordable grocery experience of GrubMarket with the ingenuity and delivery capabilities of AutoX.”

“We are enabling two shopping experiences with self-driving cars,” explains AutoX COO Jewel Li. “You can order goods from an app and get them delivered by a self-driving vehicle. Or, our self-driving car brings a shelf of goods to you, and you can select and purchase onsite in front of your house.”

AutoX is determined to make a mark on the autonomous driving industry. AutoX’s grocery delivery and mobile store pilot will roll out in two phases: the first pilot is in San Jose, with phase two expanding the pilot to Mountain View and Palo Alto soon.