Since Wednesday, Rewe and Vodafone have been testing a self-driving shop in Cologne, which stops when a customer waves at it. According to the company, this is a European first.
Snack Mobil
The mobile shop, which was given the name ‘Snack Mobil’, will offer passers-by and office workers snacks, sweets and drinks on request on the Carlswerk trade campus in Cologne. The purchases will be paid for contactless. After the start-up phase, the vehicle will drive in a continuous loop around the campus every day from 10 am to 4 pm, reports Tag24.
Waving is enough to stop the trolley and start shopping. The vehicle will also stop at a few fixed points. The test will last at least until September. “We are taking autonomous vehicles from the test site to real life,” said Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO of Vodafone Germany, at the launch of the project.
Human assistance
The cart moves at 6 km/h and is controlled by cameras, sensors and modern mobile technology. If its path threatens to cross that of passers-by, the vehicle stops automatically. During the test, the Snack Mobil will initially be accompanied by a human assistant.
The project is very reminiscent of an earlier experiment by the American Ahold Delhaize subsidiary Stop & Shop. In 2019, it sent similar trolleys on the road in the Boston area.
