Robotic food delivery now available at Wichita State thanks to Starship Technologies

Ummm where was this when I was in school? In a press release from Wichita State, the school announced they are going high tech with the rollout of robotic food delivery on campus, thanks to a partnership with Starship Technologies.

Starting today (Aug. 14), Starship’s fleet of autonomous, on-demand robots are available to deliver food from the following campus restaurants:

• RSC Starbucks
• Panda Express
• Freddy’s Frozen Custard
• Tu Taco
• Market at Groundhouse
• Cargill Cafe
• Black & Gold Grill: A Delivery Ghost Kitchen
• The service works in conjunction with the student meal plan and Shocker dollars, as well as via credit card.

Users can download the Starship Deliveries app on their mobile device and get food delivered for a $2.49 fee quickly to any campus location. Users then choose from a range of their favorite food or drink items, then drop a pin where they want their delivery to be sent. 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. The delivery usually takes just a matter of minutes, depending on the menu items ordered and the distance the robot must travel. Each robot can carry the equivalent of about three shopping bags of goods.

Wichita State University does not pay for the robots. Starship maintains ownership of the robots.

Starship is already providing services to campuses across the country, including University of Illinois Chicago, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Bowling Green State 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.

If the robot could deliver a schooner of beer and a chicken enchilada from The Cedar, I’d consider going back to WSU to get my masters.

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