An autonomous vehicles expert is predicting that the increase in deliveries made by pods will help the travelling public get used to the idea riding in driverless vehicles themselves in the future.

Matthew Lipka, head of policy at robotics company Nuro says an approachable-looking vehicle that delivers a pizza to someone’s curb would leave a positive impression and help that person gain familiarity with the technology.

“I think that’s really, really critical,” Lipka told an Eno Center for Transportation webinar. “We need to get out there and talk to people and introduce them to the technology. I think delivery technology is a way of building that public trust.”

TTNews reports that government restrictions in the light of Covid-19 has resulted in a “greater appetite” for delivery services. E-commerce has experienced growth in sectors such as grocery shopping, however, it is still too early to determine if such trends will be permanent.