Move over DoorDash and Uber Eats, there’s a new way to order delivery for college students.
N.C. A&T State University and its food services provider, Sodexo, have partnered with Starship Technologies to launch the university’s food delivery service with autonomous robots.
N.C. A&T is the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to partner with Starship. This partnership also marks Starship’s first foray into North Carolina.
Starship will provide a fleet of 20 autonomous, on-demand robots that will deliver from three campus eateries: Qdoba, 1891 Bistro and Paavo’s Pizza. The goal is to expand to other retail locations by next spring.
"As a STEM university, A&T and Sodexo’s partnership with Starship Technologies' autonomous delivery robots falls right in line with what we are about," Angela Peterson, associate vice chancellor for campus enterprises, said. "We are incredibly excited to provide this service to our students to help minimize wait times and do it using a real-world application of technology similar to what some of our students are studying."
Here’s how it works: NC A&T’s students, faculty and staff open the Starship Deliveries app, order their food and/or drink from one of the three eateries and then drop a pin where they want the food to be sent. Users can watch as the robot travels to them via an interactive map. When the robot arrives at the location, users will receive an alert and will be able to unlock the robot through the app. Delivery should take just a matter of minutes, depending on the food ordered and the distance the robot travels.
The service works in conjunction with student meal plans. For two years, NC A&T will not charge students delivery fees. After two years, a minimum delivery fee of $2.50 will be charged, according to Peterson.
“Everyone on campus loves the robots and looks forward to using them,” Brandon Daye, an N.C. A&T sophomore and president of the university’s student food advisory board, said. “They will really come in handy when the weather is bad or if you want to grab food or snacks in between classes.”
The zero-emission robots are “designed to act like a pedestrian,” explained Annie Handrick, Starship's campus marketing specialist.
They use a combination of machine learning, artificial intelligence and sensors to travel on sidewalks and navigate around obstacles. Computer vision-based navigation allows the robots to map out their environment to the nearest inch.
Traveling at an average speed of four miles per hour, the robots can cross streets, climb curbs, go both up and down hills, travel day and night and operate in a variety of weather including rain and snow. Each robot can carry up to 20 pounds.
A team of humans will be able to monitor the robot’s progress remotely and take control at a moment’s notice if something goes awry.
“We’re really looking forward to serving the students, faculty and staff at A&T,” said Ryan Tuohy, senior vice president of business development and sales at Starship Technologies. “We look for university partners that embrace innovation and A&T has that in spades. Because of the focus on STEM, we think the campus community will not only appreciate seeing this innovation firsthand, but they’ll also love the convenience that the service provides. We’re also looking forward hiring student workers who will get real-world experience in AI.”
Starship will maintain a team on N.C. A&T’s campus to provide maintenance on robots as needed. The robots are charged overnight and can make deliveries throughout the day on a single charge until the last eatery closes, Handrick said.
Starship already provides autonomous food delivery service to other campuses serviced by Sodexo, including George Mason University, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and Northern Arizona University.
“We are excited to be the first to bring this innovative service to a historically black college and university campus,” Joseph Burdi, Sodexo district manager for N.C. A&T Dining Services, said. “The program will provide added convenience for today’s busy students and meet their increased dining expectations.”
