With the fall semester approaching, Grubhub and rolled out their food delivery service today on Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s campus. This makes Â鶹´«Ã½ one of only three universities in Virginia to feature this amenity.
Starship’s fleet of 11 autonomous, on-demand robots will deliver from seven campus eateries: Chick-fil-A (Webb Center and University Village), Starbucks (Webb Center and University Village), Panera Bread, Qdoba and Steak ‘N Shake. Students, faculty, staff and the Â鶹´«Ã½ community can now use the Grubhub app (iOS and Android) to order food and drinks from local retailers to be delivered anywhere on campus, within minutes. Students can use flex points from their meal plan to order food but must use a credit card for the delivery fee.
"We are thrilled to be one of the few universities in the state offering expanded food delivery services on campus," said Shannon Hurt, assistant vice president for Campus Life Services in Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s Division of Student Enrollment, Engagement and Services. "Feedback from students has shown a strong desire for this convenience, and we hope our food delivery robots will not only enhance the dining experience but also serve as a unique and engaging cultural addition to campus life, especially during special events like homecoming."
To get started, users open the Grubhub app, choose from a range of their favorite food or drink items, then select the location for their delivery to be sent. They can then watch as the robot makes its journey to them, via an interactive map. Once the robot 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 up to 20 pounds – the equivalent of about three shopping bags of goods.
Starship Technologies operates commercially worldwide. Its zero-emission robots have made more than 4 million autonomous deliveries and taveled millions of miles, with more than 140,000 road crossings every day. The robots use a combination of sophisticated machine learning, artificial intelligence and sensors to travel on sidewalks and navigate around obstacles. The computer vision-based navigation helps the robots map their environment to the nearest inch. The robots 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.