Students at University of Akron can now have their meals delivered by robots

A fleet of food delivery robots will be taking over University of Akron’s campus to bring sustenance to its hungry students. The robots will deliver food ordered via the Starship app and can find students anywhere on campus via their dropped location pin.

Starship Technologies has rolled out their food delivery robots on campuses across the country, including at University of Mississippi, Arizona State University, and Purdue University, among others. Since launching at these campuses, more robots have been implemented at each to keep up with the high demand.

The vice president of business development at Starship Technologies, Chris Neider, said in an article on University of Akron’s website, “We’re happy to add another great university in Ohio. The Zips have a very strong STEM program, and we think the campus community will enjoy being able to use this autonomous technology on a daily basis.” 

Students can use their campus meal plans to pay for the delivered food, as well as having the option to pay by credit or debit cards. Available restaurants include Qdoba, Auntie Anne’s, Starbucks, Panda Express, and Freshens.

Using the app, students place their orders and can then watch the robots’ progress on an interactive map. The robots are autonomous, but are monitored by humans at Starship Technologies who can take control of the robots should any issues arise during delivery. Students will receive a notification when their food arrives and will need to unlock the robot in order to retrieve their food. Carrying capacity of the robots is the equivalent of about three bags of groceries.

For more information about University of Akron, visit the school’s website.