Star Wars is becoming less sci-fi and more true-life, at least around Arlington.
In May, the City of Arlington completed an innovative pilot program that used air and ground robots to deliver 300 boxes of groceries to east Arlington residents. They weren’t exactly R2-D2 and C-3PO, but a six-foot-long flying aircraft and an autonomous electric vehicle came together to complete the deliveries, showcasing the potential of robotic technology in enhancing community services.
Launched in October 2023, the Multimodal Delivery pilot program was conducted to test the efficiency and scalability of using autonomous, electric delivery vehicles to improve air quality while helping east Arlington residents with limited mobility. A $780,182 U.S. Department of Energy grant helped fund the project. Arlington partnered with the Tarrant Area Food Bank, The University of Texas at Arlington, the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the Dallas-Fort Worth Clean Cities Coalition, Airspace Link, Aerialoop and Mozee for the study.
During demonstrations in September 2024 and again in May, the Tarrant Area Food Bank supplied boxes of groceries, which were distributed to east Arlington residents via land and air robots.
To make deliveries, the project team used Aerialoop’s ALT6-4 VTOL Delivery aircraft, a six-foot-long, battery-powered vehicle capable of carrying nearly nine pounds, to transport food boxes from a distribution point to a hub closer to participants' homes. The boxes were then placed inside Mozee’s electric, autonomous vehicle, spacious enough to carry both passengers and goods, for delivery to participants' homes.
The City of Arlington and its partners will use data collected from the deliveries to evaluate the impact of these new technologies on air quality, energy efficiency and public attitudes toward electric and autonomous vehicles.
