BCP Council said its transport plan includes a pilot to deploy autonomous grocery-delivery robots across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, with a target delivery date of 2031.
The council said it is in talks with an operator and that people in the area could see the machines within the next year or so.
Andy Hadley, the council cabinet member for climate response, described the vehicles as "tiny fridges on wheels" and said, "They have a lot of cameras and means to detect what's happening", adding they can stop, speak or be taken over by a remote controller.
Hadley said the robots would be routed to run on the left-hand side of pavements to make their movements predictable and that the authority would restrict routes and speeds, for example saying it it doesn't want them on the seafront going more than five miles an hour.
The council noted similar autonomous delivery services have been trialled elsewhere in the UK, including London, Milton Keynes, Leeds and Sheffield, and the devices are generally used for short "last-mile" grocery and takeaway runs that carry small loads at roughly walking pace.
Residents can expect the pilot to move from planning into on-street trials as discussions with the operator continue.
