Autonomous robot snack delivery service pops up on campus

College campuses have become the main battlefield for competition in the autonomous vehicle delivery business.

If you are a college student who loves snacks, then the arrival of robots is undoubtedly good news.

The University of Houston has become the latest college campus to offer food delivery services via autonomous ground-based robots.

This is thanks to a team of 30 robots created by Starship Technologies. The robots are designed to deliver goods around cities and other navigable environments. To date, Starship's delivery robots have traveled tens of thousands of miles in more than 100 cities around the world, although most of these shipments are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time.

University of Houston—the first higher education institution in Texas to offer robotic meal delivery on campus, with more than 53,000 students, faculty, and staff. Starship has previously deployed robots on the campus of George Mason University.

It’s a savvy way to bring technology to market. Municipalities have been slow to catch up with technology, and with companies like Bird and Uber following suit with aggressive tactics, cities' reticence is understandable given the leadership of those companies. Treating reservations as an art form rather than an endorsement, they are reluctant to open the door to disruptive technology like delivery robots.

.But college campuses have fewer layers of bureaucracy. Universities also benefit from the idea of advanced and cutting-edge technology.

"This revolutionary delivery method will allow the campus community to more conveniently access our diverse dining programs from anywhere on campus while also extending operations," said Emily Mesa, UH associate vice president for administrative affairs. time.” By opening up our campus to this innovative customer-pay service, the university does not have to spend money on technology, and we are also increasing our food delivery capabilities.

To use the service, users simply open the "Starship Deliveries" app (available on iOS and Android) and order a meal from one of eleven UH restaurants (options include Drexler's, Starbucks, Einstein Brothers Bagels, Panda Express and Cougar Village Market) Select the food they want, place a pin, and select the location on the service map where they want it delivered.

The app allows users to view the robot's journey through an interactive map.

Once the robot arrives, users are alerted and they can meet the robot and unlock it through the app.

The robot can carry up to 20 pounds.

Or the equivalent of about three shopping bags of grocery store food.

The service is subsidized by a small delivery fee of about two dollars. Payment can be made by credit card, debit card, or campus "cougar cash."

Chartwells Residential Area Manager David Rdel said. "This strengthens our ability to reach more customers, and I expect robots will soon become a part of campus life," said UH Dining, which is managed by Chartwells Higher Education. "Robot delivery will also optimize UH Dining employee benefits by increasing service hours and enhancing sales. It will also create more job opportunities for students who specialize in serving autonomous robots. This is a major breakthrough for UH Dining Services."