Customer Experience

Rewe Digital teams with Vodafone on driverless mobile snack kiosk

Image courtesy of Rewe digital.

August 31, 2021

The "Snack Mobil," a driverless kiosk offering 32 snacks developed by Rewe digital and Vodafone, begins live operations following a test in Cologne, Germany that covered over 200 kilometers between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and delivered snacks and drinks to employees, according to a press release.

The companies have now launched live operations, which will initially last until the end of October.

All passers-by at the Carlswerk in Cologne can order soft drinks, sweets and healthy snacks and make contactless payments with their smartphones directly at the Rewe Snack Mobil. The self-propelled kiosk stops when a customer waves. The hand signals are recognized by integrated sensors and cameras. In addition, the "Rewe Snack Mobil" drives to predefined stops.

"The future of mobility is digital, networked and more and more often also autonomous," North Rhine-Westphalia's Transport Minister Hendrik Wüst MdL said in the press release.

Passers-by can now check at any time in a corresponding app, the "Rewe Snack Mobil" app. The kiosk transmits its current location data in real time to the central control unit via cellular network, keeping the vehicle on course and allowing passers-by to know where it is.

The selection of snacks and drinks takes place directly on the vehicle.