Walmart is about to experiment with autonomous grocery delivery in a big way. The big-box retailer is launching a pilot program in Houston that will use Nuro's self-driving R1 vehicle to shuttle food from "select" stores to customers who've opted into the program. The companies didn't outline how customers would enroll, but Houstonians can expect service to start in the "coming weeks." The test run will help Nuro and Walmart "develop and refine" their services, including providing the best "end-to-end" experience for shoppers. Kroger's earlier use of the vehicles takes scheduled orders through a mobile app, with store staff loading the R1 before it makes its way to a customer's home.

Autonomous grocery delivery buggies may roam U.S. neighborhoods if Kroger's pilot program works out. The largest American supermarket chain announced a partnership with Mountain View-based Nuro this week to test the concept of driverless home deliveries. The pilot will start this fall in an as-yet-unnamed market. Nuro applies robotics, artificial intelligence, and computer vision technology in partnership with local businesses looking for innovative ways to deliver goods that are cost effective for merchants and convenient for customers. "We are incredibly excited about the potential of our innovative partnership with Nuro to bring the future of grocery delivery to customers today," says Yael Cosset, Kroger's chief digital officer.