Driverless vehicles almost ready to hit the open roads of Houston

Nuro vehicles have logged thousands of miles while mapping our southwest Houston neighborhoods and making grocery deliveries for Kroger.

There is a person in the vehicle, but by year's end Nuro says that will change. The next generation of autonomous vehicles for Nuro scheduled to hit Houston roads is the bot called the R1. Nuro Product Operations Manager Sola Lawal tells us it's lighter, slower and safer than today's cars.

"It's not really your standard vehicle," said Lawal. "There's not really a comparison to the vehicles out on the road today."

So just how will you access your delivery?

"You'll get a code," Lawal explained. "That code will open a compartment, and that compartment will have your stuff and your stuff only."

You can interact with the bot or make calls for customer service. It's outfitted with numerous sensors and cameras, so a human will still monitor the bot from a remote location, and if necessary, could take over the vehicle.

"So any instances where we need to pull over, and have to have the tele-operator take over, we can do that. "

When the AV arrives with your delivery, Nuro says you're welcome to ask the operator questions about the new technology. Pizza delivery, via the R1, is planned for Domino's Pizza by the end of the year.

You can order groceries with Nuro now by app or online in select Houston zip codes.