The pizza chain has developed the pizza pup, a robot dog named Domidog, to guard against the hungry birds and protect your pizza when you’re ordering a beach takeaway
Beloved pizza chain Domino’s has unveiled a new member of the team – ‘Domidog’ – a robotic canine engineered to securely transport pizza to beachgoers. Whilst the pizza pooch won’t be replacing human delivery drivers, the prototype is being rolled out this summer to defend against aggressive seagulls that seagulls who swoop for food at seaside hotspots.
The company designed the fun robot dog following research that placed seagulls amongst the top 10 biggest annoyances for Brits at the seaside. Inadequate toilet facilities (40 percent), overcrowding (37 percent), and unruly dogs not on leads (17 percent) also featured on the list according to 1,500 seaside visitors.
One in three confessed they’ve been victimised by the brazen birds that hover around looking for something to eat, and the majority wished there was an easy solution to shield their treats from seagulls when they were making a visit to the seaside.
Izzy Gardener from Domino’s commented: “Seagulls have claimed too many seaside snacks, and it’s time we did something about it.
“We’re always exploring new and innovative ways to keep your pizza as hot and fresh as possible on its delivery journey. That’s why we’re trailing Domidog this summer: a tech-driven answer to an age-old beach problem.”
The Boston Dynamics robot has already proven its heroism, prior to its pizza-protecting duties, by supporting search and rescue operations, assisting bomb squads and advancing robotics research in human-robot interaction.
Now, it’s putting those same advanced systems to work on a new mission – guarding your pizza from airborne snack thieves.
Complete with a hi-tech spec, it can autonomously navigate its environment using onboard sensors, stereo cameras, and advanced localisation technology.
Additional capabilities such as all-round vision enable it to seamlessly dodge barriers whilst making deliveries.
When asked what grated their gears most about the greedy gulls, stealing food (61 percent) naturally topped the list, followed by their aggressive behaviour (50 percent).
One in 10 even said seagulls had caused damage to their belongings, whilst 19 percent stated they’d frightened young kids.
Domino’s spokesperson Izzy Gardener commented: “Thanks to this prototype, seaside visitors will have a sure-fire way to keep slices safe and secure at the seaside – without them heading off into the sky.”
TOP 10 THINGS THAT BOTHER PEOPLE AT THE BEACH:
- Lack of toilets nearby
- Crowded beaches
- Litter
- Expensive/limited parking
- Seagulls
- Dogs off the lead
- Strong winds
- Getting sun burn
- Limited parking
- Sand in food