University Housing Dining & Culinary Services is getting a hand with food delivery from some pretty innovative technology. University of Wisconsin-Madison’s over 66,000 students, staff, and faculty will have access to a fleet of 30 Starship Technologies robots that can autonomously deliver food directly to their location.
“Our students are juggling more than they ever have before and we are always looking for inventive ways to support their campus dining needs,” says Peter Testory, Director of University Housing Dining & Culinary Services. “This delivery service allows us to reach them in a whole new way with made-from-scratch meals we offer from our dining markets. This added convenience and flexibility of dining for students allows us to provide an affordable option for those on campus.”
Here’s how it works. Users open the Starship Deliveries app (iOS and Android), choose the items they would like from one of three locations (Carson’s Market, Four Lakes Market, or Liz’s Market), and drop a pin by selecting the location on the service map where they want their food to be delivered. The app allows users to watch the robot’s journey to them through an interactive map. Once the robot arrives, the user will receive an alert, and they can meet the robot 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. Robots can carry up to 20lb – the equivalent of about three shopping bags of groceries. Read the full story here.
;
