The Walmart pilot initially will use human-driven vehicles operated to simulate how a self-driving vehicle would behave, Ford said. Ford has said it expects to launch commercial production of automated vehicles by 2021. Ford and its partners are using Miami as a testing ground for automated delivery service ideas and automated vehicle technology. The new pilot project will offer customers delivery by Postmates of goods ordered at Walmart stores. Brian Wolf, an executive of Ford's autonomous vehicle unit, wrote in a blog post that the companies will work over the next "couple of months" to figure out what goods can be delivered successfully, especially perishable groceries.

Self-driving car collaborations are becoming increasingly commonplace. The latest team-up comes from Ford and Walmart -- two older-world companies using autonomous tech to combat nascent startup rivals and remain relevant in an ever-changing landscape. The eventual goal is to bring Walmart shopping items to customers in a self-driving Ford with the help of Postmates' delivery infrastructure. Initially, however, the venture will rely on human-driven cars designed to simulate how a self-driving vehicle would operate. Ford has already started testing its autonomous cars in Miami and Washington DC, with plans for commercial production by 2021.