Nuro’s self-driving vehicles to deliver prescriptions for CVS Pharmacy

Nuro, the autonomous robotics startup that has raised more than $1 billion from SoftBank  Vision Fund, Greylock and other investors, said Thursday it will test prescription delivery in Houston through a partnership with CVS Pharmacy. The pilot, which will use a fleet of the startup’s autonomous Toyota Prius vehicles and transition to using its custom-built R2 delivery bots, is slated to begin in June. The partnership marks Nuro’s expansion beyond groceries and into healthcare. Last month, the startup dipped its autonomous toe in the healthcare field through a program to deliver food and medical supplies at temporary field hospitals in California set up in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pilot program centers on one CVS Pharmacy in Bellaire, Texas and will serve customers across three ZIP codes. Customers who place prescription orders via CVS’ website or pharmacy app will be given the option to choose an autonomous delivery option. These pharmacy customers will also be able add other non-prescription items to their order.