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Walmart Launches Self-Driving Car Pilot

Walmart continues to delve into high tech.

Following several pilot projects with self-driving car companies, the mega retailer has unveiled a plan to test with autonomous vehicle company Gatik.

Walmart will be testing an autonomous vehicle to move customer orders on a two-mile route between two stores in the retailer’s hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas, according to a blog post by Tom Ward, senior vice president, digital operations, Walmart U.S.

“We aim to learn more about the logistics of adding autonomous vehicles into our online grocery ecosystem, operation process changes and more opportunities to incorporate this emerging technology,” stated Ward.

Walmart has been testing other technologies, including adding hundreds of robots to clean and polish floors, working with Ford on the delivery of groceries in autonomous vehicles and partnering with Waymo to shuttle passengers to and from stores in autonomous vehicles.

Other retailers also are experimenting with autonomous vehicles, such as Kroger delivering groceries to customers via self-driving vehicles from Nuro and Texas grocer H-E-B launching a pilot service to deliver groceries in self-driving vehicles.

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