Self-driving food delivery robots will be able to help out during busy periods and staff shortages, according to a restaurant boss, but there are fears about the impact on jobs.
Several automated vehicles are being trialled by online delivery firm Just Eat with real customer orders from 12 restaurants in Sunderland.
However, the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) said it "rings out like a warning alarm" to members and echoed a "worrying wider trend" in the automation of roles.
But Starship Technologies, which developed the vehicles, said they would not replace humans and would one day allow couriers to focus on deliveries further out of city centres.
The vehicles are fully autonomous and have been designed to navigate paths and busy roads safely, often using pedestrian crossings.
