Wichita State Dining has announced the roll-out of robotic food delivery on campus, thanks to a partnership with Starship Technologies.
The latter’s fleet of autonomous, on-demand robots are now available to deliver food from the following campus restaurants:
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RSC Starbucks
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Panda Express
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Freddy’s Frozen Custard
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Tu Taco
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Market at Groundhouse
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Cargill Cafe
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Black & Gold Grill: A Delivery Ghost Kitchen
The service works in conjunction with the student meal plan and Shocker dollars, as well as via credit card.
Users can download the Starship Deliveries app on their mobile device and get food delivered for a $2.49 fee to any campus location. They then drop a pin where they want their delivery to be sent.
They can watch as the robot makes its journey to them, via an interactive map. Once it arrives, they receive an alert, and can then meet and unlock it 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. Each robot can carry the equivalent of about three shopping bags of goods.
Toto, I have a feeling we’ve just rolled into Kansas for the very first time …👀
Today, we’re launching our autonomous robot delivery service at @WichitaState! See you around campus, Shockers – our robots can’t wait to meet you. 🤖 @WSU__Dining
More: https://t.co/dgvckHMQzR pic.twitter.com/2YcUuLy50K
— Starship Technologies (@StarshipRobots) August 14, 2023
Starship is providing services to various campuses across the US, including University of Illinois Chicago, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Bowling Green State University.
“We’re pleased to announce Wichita State University as our newest university,” says Chris Neider, Vice President of Business Development at Starship Technologies.
“The university has a strong reputation as a research university and we think the campus community will enjoy learning about new technologies first hand with our robots. Getting to regularly interact with our robots will not only show the convenience of autonomous delivery but will be a fun experience for all Shockers.”
Starship Technologies’ robots use a combination of machine learning, artificial intelligence and sensors to travel on sidewalks and navigate around obstacles.
The computer vision-based navigation helps them to map their environment to the nearest inch. They can cross streets, climb curbs, travel at night and operate in both rain and snow. A team of humans can also monitor their progress remotely and can take control at a moment’s notice.
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