An unmanned vehicle en route to deliver food in Zhoushan. [Photo/the official news website of Zhoushan]

An unmanned meal-delivery vehicle with an intelligent temperature-controlled cabin began operating on Dec 9 in Dengta village, Shengsi county, Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province. It now allows elderly residents to enjoy a wider range of freshly prepared dishes twice a day — far beyond the limited options previously available at village canteens.

Upon the vehicle's arrival, volunteers retrieve meal boxes and deliver them to elderly residents, which include dishes such as braised meatballs, duck with radish, stir-fried eggs with green peppers, and corn-rib soup.

Huaniao township governs two villages — Huaniao and Dengta — separated by 5.2 kilometers of winding mountain roads. While Huaniao village's canteen serves a large elderly population with a diverse menu, limited manpower and transport make direct delivery to Dengta village difficult.

The county coordinated with the Cainiao autonomous vehicle team to bring a Beidou-equipped model to the island for testing, with its trial operations starting in June.

After solving challenges such as unstable island signals and swaying reeds that triggered frequent emergency stops, the unmanned vehicle was fully operational by late August. Elderly residents now pay only 5 yuan (70 cents) per meal for delivery, with the same vehicle also transporting medicine and parcels daily, replacing the previous two-day bus-dependent cycle.