Food-delivery robots rolling onto CSU campus

FORT COLLINS — Colorado State University’s main campus has a futuristic way to order food, since a robot delivery service launched Monday in partnership with Grubhub and Starship Technologies.

Starship’s fleet of on-demand robots is delivering food from select on-campus eateries. Using the Grubhub app, students, faculty and staff can order food for a nominal delivery charge. The service works with campus meal plans, RamCash and credit cards.

The zero-emission robots built by San Francisco-based Starship operate on more than 55 college campuses in the United States and have completed more than 7 million autonomous deliveries. CSU is the first college campus in Colorado to welcome Starship’s robots.

The robots are battery-powered with an average delivery consuming as little energy as making one cup of coffee. In comparison to traditional delivery options that use cars and vans, robot delivery is an environmentally friendly alternative.

The robots can navigate through all kinds of conditions — snow, oncoming bikes and foot traffic, curbs, low light and other obstacles — using a combination of machine learning, artificial intelligence and sensors to safely travel on sidewalks. The computer vision-based navigation helps the robots to map their environment to the nearest inch.

“Our robots have proved to be immensely popular, especially among college students who often adopt them as another campus mascot,” Chris Neider, vice president for business development at Starship Technologies, said in a prepared statement. “We’re thrilled to bring our little robots to CSU. We can’t wait to see how they become a part of campus life.”

In addition, each robot has separate compartments for hot and cold food and can carry the equivalent of three shopping bags. The robots are also equipped with cup holders and dividers to ensure that nothing is spilled during delivery. To prevent theft, the robots have a variety of security measures, including a locked lid, cameras and sirens.

Lucas Miller, director of residential dining services at CSU, said Starship Technologies owns and operates the delivery robots in collaboration with Grubhub. CSU has provided access to its campus, and Starship and Grubhub get the $3.49 charge per delivery.

So why delivery robots?

Miller explained that the initiative brings future technologies to students, faculty and staff, while enhancing the overall campus and student experience. It also gives experiential learning opportunities for students to have hands-on work with the robots and the new technologies.

“Robot delivery is the next wave of technology in food delivery, and CSU will be at the forefront,” Miller said. “Delivery robots will not only bring a new service to the CSU community, but it will also provide hands-on experience with new technologies for the students who will manage and maintain the robots.”

Before the launch, Starship Technologies hired a CSU student to assist with setting up the robots, making repairs, updating software, helping map the campus and performing maintenance. In addition, Miller and his team in Residential Dining Services will manage the day-to-day operations.

Tevis Parent, a sophomore majoring in computer engineering with a concentration in aerospace, is the first CSU student to work with Starship Technologies as a robot technician. His responsibilities include identifying, troubleshooting and fixing issues with the robots. He added that he also maintains robot cleanliness and assists vendors with technical issues regarding the use of the robots.

“My ultimate goal is to design and build satellites,” Parent said. “So, working on these electronic circuits develops my diagnostic abilities and my knowledge of electrical components and systems – as well as the experience of working for an international autonomous robotic delivery company opens the doors to other opportunities in the technology space.”

To get started, Grubhub customers must first be on campus and be connected with CSU via the app. They can then tap the “Delivery” filter to display participating locations.

Customers may then proceed with their order, enter their location for delivery and pay. The robot can then be tracked on an interactive map as it makes its journey to delivery.

Once the robot arrives, access to unlock the robot is made available through the app. The delivery usually takes just a matter of minutes, depending on the menu items ordered and the distance the robot must travel.

Starship Technologies was founded in 2014 in Estonia by Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, the chief architect and co-founder of Skype.

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