Towson University today announced that Grubhub and Starship Technologies will roll out their autonomous robot food delivery service on campus beginning on March 24.

Starship’s fleet of five autonomous, on-demand robots will deliver from six campus eateries at the Union Food Market: Bento Sushi, Dunkin’, Jack*s Burrito, The Halal Shack, Roar Pizza Co. and The Den @ Paws. TU's student, staff and faculty can order through the Grubhub app and pick up their items at one of the drop-off locations across campus. The service also works in conjunction with the student meal plan.

“Bringing food delivery robots to Towson University is an exciting step forward in enhancing on campus dining,” says Bethany Comegys, marketing manager for Aramark Collegiate Hospitality, TU’s food provider. “This new option makes getting great food even easier for our students, faculty and staff.”

The robots contain locked, insulated compartments to prevent spills and ensure food and drinks remain at the desired temperature. Designed to act like pedestrians, they’ll use radar, sensors and GPS to travel on campus sidewalks, detect obstacles and traverse crosswalks along Cross Campus Drive. Alarms, cameras and tracking devices will protect against theft and alert staff when they need support.

“We are thrilled to introduce food delivery robots to our campus, bringing innovation directly to our students,” says Vernon Hurte, senior vice president for student affairs and university life. “This new fleet of robots roaming our campus embraces technology and will enhance the student experience by providing reliable and contactless meal delivery, giving them more time to focus on campus life.”

To get started, users open the Grubhub app, select the location for their delivery to be sent (drop off/guest pick up) and then choose from a range of their favorite food or drink items. They can then watch as the robot makes its journey to them, via an interactive map. Once the robot arrives, they receive an alert and can then meet and unlock it through the app.

TU is among the first campuses in Maryland to launch the food delivery robot service. It is in place at approximately 55 colleges and universities nationwide, including the University of Notre Dame, University of Kentucky, Fairfield University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Southern Methodist University. Since launch, all campuses have increased the number of robots, dining options and hours of operation to meet the high demand for the service.

“We’re looking forward to introducing our robot delivery service to Towson University,” says Chris Neider, vice president of business development at Starship Technologies. “By partnering with innovative schools, we give students the chance to experience autonomous technology up close. Not only will they get to interact with this tech on a daily basis, but they’ll also enjoy the added convenience that these adorable robots bring to campus.”

Starship Technologies operates commercially around the world. Its zero-emission robots have made nearly eight million autonomous deliveries, traveled millions of miles and make more than 150,000 road crossings every day. The robots use a combination of sophisticated machine learning, artificial intelligence and sensors to travel on sidewalks and navigate around obstacles. The computer-vision-based navigation helps the robots to map their environment to the nearest inch. The robots can cross streets, climb curbs, travel at night and operate in rain and snow.

For media inquiries and requests to come to campus to “meet” the robots and get a first-hand look at how they work, .

 

About Towson University

Towson University is Maryland’s university of opportunities. With more than 150 years of experience pushing possibilities, TU is a nationally recognized leader in inclusive excellence, social mobility, research and discovery. As the largest university in greater Baltimore, TU’s momentum is always accelerating, with more than 20,000 students and 100 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs in the liberal arts and sciences and applied professional fields. Located amid one of the East Coast’s cultural and economic epicenters, TU is a beacon and powerful catalyst in the Mid-Atlantic, partnering with hundreds of businesses and organizations, impacting communities and fueling change. TU meets the holistic needs of each student to achieve success, a result of a deeply inclusive culture with a focus on equity among all students, faculty and staff.

About Starship Technologies

Starship Technologies is revolutionizing deliveries with autonomous robots. The robots are designed to deliver food, groceries and packages locally in minutes. The delivery robots have traveled millions of miles and completed nearly seven million autonomous deliveries around the world. Starship was founded by Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis (Skype chief architect and cofounder).