NCTCOG
If you told someone a few years ago that grocery delivery in Arlington would involve a six-foot-long flying robot and a silent, electric driverless car teaming up to bring food to people’s doorsteps, they might’ve laughed you off as a screenwriter dreaming up a new “Star Wars” spinoff. But as of last May, that sci-fi vision is very real — and it’s buzzing right over East Arlington, according to the North Central Texas Council of Governments Transportation Department.
The City of Arlington, with the help of a $780,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, has just completed a pilot program that’s part tech experiment, part community care. Over the course of several months, air and ground robots collaborated to deliver 300 boxes of groceries to residents who face challenges getting out to shop for themselves. It wasn’t your typical delivery van route — this was a glimpse into a future where drones and autonomous electric vehicles redefine how cities serve their communities.
The program kicked off in October 2023, under the banner of the Multimodal Delivery pilot, with a mission that sounds both simple and revolutionary: to improve air quality and accessibility by using electric, self-driving machines to deliver food directly to people's homes. And the team behind it wasn’t just Arlington’s city planners—they tapped into the expertise of the Tarrant Area Food Bank, UT Arlington researchers, regional government groups, and several cutting-edge tech companies like Aerialoop and Mozee.
Here’s how it worked: the Tarrant Area Food Bank packed up boxes of groceries, which were then flown from a distribution hub to a drop-off point near neighborhoods by Aerialoop’s ALT6-4 VTOL Delivery aircraft. This battery-powered drone, about the size of a surfboard, can carry nearly nine pounds — enough for a week's worth of essentials. Once the flying robot touched down, Mozee’s autonomous electric vehicle, sleek and roomy enough to carry passengers and parcels, took over the last-mile delivery. No driver, no emissions, just quiet, efficient service.
The project wasn’t just about getting food to people — it was an exploration of how technology can mesh with daily life and community needs. By analyzing data from these deliveries, Arlington and its partners are studying everything from energy efficiency to how folks feel about letting robots navigate their neighborhoods.
For now, Arlington is proving that the future doesn’t have to wait for the movies. Sometimes, it’s just hovering in the sky above your front yard, carrying your groceries home.
