MADISON, Wis. – The sun was setting on a frigid November day as 6E24 rolled up outside Dejope Residence Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and parked, awaiting human contact.
“Hello!” the little white robot chirped when the human arrived. “Here’s your delivery.”
From the push of a button on the man’s smartphone, 6E24 received a signal that this was the man it was sent to meet. It unlocked its lid and the man opened the picnic-basket-on-wheels and retrieved a Coke and a bottle of juice placed there by a dining hall employee.
“Thank you. Have a nice day,” 6E24 told Markus Zimmermann, the customer, before cruising off.
6E24 is one of 30 robots brought to UW-Madison this month, establishing a new era of convenience for students who are unwilling to stand in line for a meal and, for everyone else, a new source for entertaining internet memes.
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