The test run will help Nuro and Walmart "develop and refine" their services, including providing the best "end-to-end" experience for shoppers. Kroger's earlier use of the vehicles takes scheduled orders through a mobile app, with store staff loading the R1 before it makes its way to a customer's home.

It could be a long, long time before you can simply assume that a driverless courier will be available to spare you a trip to Walmart. Nuro's current vehicles are relatively slow, and there are all kinds of real-world challenges (such as snow) to overcome. A lack of consistent regulations for self-driving vehicles will also limit where and how these robotic couriers can operate. This is more of a peek at the future of food delivery than anything else.