Delivery Robots at the U

 How the University’s new implementation of delivery robots is helping students.

Sydney Jackson

It's hard to miss their speeding, six-wheeled body gliding along campus, delivering food to hardworking and hungry students as they go about their day studying, working, or just plain relaxing. These fast food delivery robots have caused quite the commotion and talk around the University since their implementation in October 2024.

According to the University of Minnesota’s campus dining website, “M Food Co” is in collaboration with Starship Technologies to produce and function this unique, environmentally safe robot that parallels the futuristic technological advancements of Hollywood movies. These delivery robots currently only deliver meals and drinks from select franchises–Starbucks, Panda Express, Erbert & Gerbert's, Einstein Bros. Bagels, and City Mac–but will be adding more soon. For students interested in partaking in this service, they will need to download the delivery app “Starship - Food Delivery,” and place your order. From there, a little robot will start moving its wheels and drive towards your location.

For many reasons, this is a great advantage for students. As for many students at this University, schoolwork and studying can pile up, creating an inability to get and eat a meal or snack, which has a butterfly effect of deteriorating the health of students. This creates an easy, accessible, and hands-free way for students to gain some energy, either before, during, or after studying, school work, or classes. Instead of having to trudge your way over to Panda Express to get some rice and noodles, you can order a meal from an app and have it delivered right to your location no matter where you are, either on the East or West Bank campus. 

However, these mini robots might serve as a blockage or distraction to students on their way around campus. Many times, these robots can get in the way of students walking around campus, oftentimes almost running into them. This has resulted in students having to be more cautious of their surroundings. Additionally, can these robots be easily broken? or slowed down by pedestrians and cars on the road. Their small stature makes them easily missable by cars and humans. This could result in being hit or run over by cars, or accidentally hit or kicked by people. This could result in a student not getting their food, or receiving it late. 

Minnesota's notorious cold and chilly winters would obviously have an effect on the delivery time of the robots. However, are these robots surprised? Unassumingly? Very?  smart. Each robot has 12 cameras, ultrasonic sensors, radars, and neural networks to detect obstacles, including snow. They can tackle the snow at a calm four miles per hour, making sure the majority of their journey is tackled on the sidewalk, which is usually cleared of snow from pedestrians' footmarks, making it easier for these delivery robots to move. In addition to these features, if needed, a human who is remotely monitoring the robot can take control of the robot for both the safety and functionality of the humans and the machine.

This marks a step forward into the post-information age of technology. For previous college students, including college students in the Class of 2027, this robotic technology was only a glimpse into the future or an imaginative wish. However, for the Class of 2028 and forward, if this continues, this is a new norm. Technology, especially robotic technology, is increasingly becoming a common part of our lives in many aspects. Robotic advancements have started small with an inanimate object like Amazon’s Alexa, and now taking a baby step into moving robots like these delivery ones, these robots give us a possible look into what our future could hold: co-habilitating with robots. Will they serve us? Or will their service bite us in the end?