Who is hungry for pizza? Looks like Ford is teaming up with Domino’s Pizza. The two companies announced an industry-first collaboration to understand the role self-driving vehicles can play in pizza delivery and ultimately the future of food delivery.  And if you’re a University of Michigan college student looking for a late night snack, or an Ann Arbor resident in general, you might be one of the lucky few to test it out.

Here’s how it works:

• Randomly selected Domino’s customers in Ann Arbor will have the option to receive their delivery from a Ford Fusion Hybrid Autonomous Research Vehicle, which will be manually driven by a Ford safety engineer and staffed with researchers

• Customers will be able to track their delivery through GPS via an upgraded Domino’s Tracker®

• Text messages with a unique code will help unlock the Domino’s Heatwave Compartment™ inside the vehicle

• Voila! A (piping hot!) pizza will be waiting!

In 2016, the food delivery revenue for the U.S. was $13 billion and this number is expected to increase to $39 billion in five years. Ford and Domino’s foray into this new form of delivery, and the focus of this research, is centered around the “last 50 feet” experience to understand customer preferences such as their willingness to walk outside to get their order. The companies’ end goal is to better understand perceptions around the delivery experience and ensure that technology, such as self-driving vehicles, is applied in ways that enhance that customer experience.

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