Why they called it “Autolivery” is self-explanatory
Ford envisions a time in the not too distant future where you will order groceries in a super convenient fashion using your smart fridge, then have them delivered by driverless vans which then use drones to get the stuff into your home.
Autonomous delivery systems are nothing new, and companies like Amazon are well on their way to making such a service work in the real world. What Ford is proposing is an integrated solution that includes a smart refrigerator which knows what ingredients you have stored in there and what’s missing in order to whip up a recipe of your choosing.
The idea was showcased at the Mobile World Congress this year and visitors could experience using the system in virtual reality at the company stand. The video posted here actually uses footage from that virtual reality experience.
Ken Washington, Ford's vice president, Research and Advanced Engineering, said the company "has at its heart a culture of disruption and innovation designed to come up with solutions that put people first, to save them time, money and aggravation, and also to make our cities easier to navigate and better to live in." He adds that “while the scene shown today is not yet possible, ‘Autolivery’ suggests how our ongoing mobility research could enrich our lives in a more sustainable ‘City of Tomorrow’.”