This startup is launching a remote-controlled 'grocery store on wheels'

At first glance, the black and white Robomart, with its minimalist design and rounded body, looks like a vision of the future. But if you ignore the lack of steering wheels and human drivers, the electric vehicle -- about the size of a minivan -- is actually something of a throwback. For much of American history, perishable kitchen items like produce, milk, eggs and ice arrived outside people's homes on a daily basis, first by horse-drawn wagon and later by truck. This curbside service would eventually fall victim to refrigeration, automobiles and the rise of the supermarket, making weekly shopping trips the modern American norm, according to Boston Hospitality Review. Now Robomart -- a Santa Clara, Calif.-based startup -- seeks to merge the old with the new.