While the world is still battling the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is still encouraged to practice social distancing and to opt for contactless payment and delivery as much as possible. In China, it appears that KFC has started deploying 5G autonomous vehicles which allow customers to purchase their finger licking good meals without human interaction.
The unmanned vehicles were spotted in front of a metro station outside the city of Shanghai. From the looks of it, you can place an order on the screen and it accepts payment via QR-code. After payment is made, the door will open for you to collect your order.
The vehicles are from Neolix and it appears to be identical to the 5G-connected vehicles that are used in hospitals in Thailand for contactless delivery of medical supplies.
According to Forbes, Neolix supplies mini delivery vehicles for food sales, patrols and delivery. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was even used for street disinfection. Apart from KFC, the company is also said to be working with Pizza Hut to provide a “restaurant on wheels” service.
The Neolix unmanned vehicles support Level 4 autonomous driving and it can detect and avoid obstacles thanks to its array of sensors. It has a rated mileage of 100km on a single charge and a maximum speed of 50km/h. For a full-day operation, the battery can be swapped in 30 seconds without tools required.
