U Arizona Rolls Out Robot Food Delivery
The University of Arizona is partnering with Grubhub to offer food delivery via self-driving robot. When students order food via the Grubhub app, the service will use robotic "rovers" from Yandex Self-Driving Group to transport food from on-campus dining spots to dormitories, libraries and other popular locations.
The third-generation Yandex rovers are able to autonomously navigate pavements, crosswalks and pedestrian areas, traveling at speeds between 3 to 5 miles per hour, according to a news announcement. They operate seven days a week, in the daytime or after dark, withstanding various weather conditions such as rain, wind and heat. Additional features of the rovers include removable batteries, additional cameras, increased capacity, LED headlights and softer suspension.
U Arizona is the second college campus to roll out Grubhub's robot delivery option, following Ohio State University this fall.
"We've been working with the University of Arizona's dining team on efforts that drive the dining experience forward for the last eight years — from rolling out on-campus pickup and delivery to smart food lockers and our Ultimate ordering technology," said Travis Price, senior manager for strategic partnerships at Grubhub, in a statement. "The deployment of this robot delivery technology is an exciting way we're providing innovative solutions to our partners, and we look forward to continuing to support the university's dining operations."
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Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].