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Sodexo Deploys Delivery Robots At George Mason University

GAITHERSBURG, MD Robots are one-upping vending machines at George Mason University's Fairfax, VA, campus through a partnership between foodservice giant Sodexo Inc. and Starship Technologies (San Francisco, CA). The university's 40,000 students, faculty and staff can now access the Starship Deliveries app to order food and drinks to be delivered anywhere on campus, within minutes. Blaze Pizza, Starbucks and Dunkin' are the first retailers to participate, with more to be announced in the coming w...

January 22, 2019

GAITHERSBURG, MD – Robots are one-upping vending machines at George Mason University's Fairfax, VA, campus through a partnership between foodservice giant Sodexo Inc. and Starship Technologies (San Francisco, CA).
 
The university's 40,000 students, faculty and staff can now access the Starship Deliveries app to order food and drinks to be delivered anywhere on campus, within minutes. Blaze Pizza, Starbucks and Dunkin' are the first retailers to participate, with more to be announced in the coming weeks. Each on-demand delivery costs just $1.99.
 
With a fleet of more than 25 robots at launch, the initiative is reportedly the largest implementation of autonomous robot food delivery services on a university campus and is representative of Sodexo's next-generation technology portfolio for the college and university market. The service works in conjunction with student meal plans.
 
"We're excited that our students, faculty and staff get to be at the forefront of this pioneering campus food delivery service," said George Mason University executive director for campus retail operations Mark Krane. "This will enhance life for everyone at the university, and that's something we're continuously looking to build upon. Our commitment to providing an optimal campus experience is one of the things that distinguishes George Mason University as a place where everyone can thrive."
 
To get started, users open the Starship Deliveries app, 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 entire delivery usually takes 15 minutes or less, depending on the menu items ordered and the distance the robot must travel. Each robot can carry up to 20 lbs. -- the equivalent of about three shopping bags of goods.
 
"College students understand the benefits of technology on campus and expect it to be integrated into their daily lives," said Ryan Tuohy, senior vice-president of business development Starship Technologies. "Students and teachers have little free time as it is, so there is a convenience for them to have their food, groceries and packages delivered to them. Our goal is to make life easier, whether that means skipping the line, eating lunch on the lawn rather than in the cafe, or finding the time to eat better when studying for exams."
 
Starship Technologies says its robots have completed more 25,000 deliveries and travelled more than 150,000 miles to date. 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 both rain and snow. In addition, the robots can be stored in pods located around campus where their batteries are automatically switched so they can continue to operate independently, with no human involvement.
 
Sodexo and Starship plan to expand the program to additional campus locations globally in the future.
 
Robotic delivery will increasingly be one of the convenience services industry's biggest competitive challenges.
 
"It is part of a slow but steadily evolving robotics revolution," MorningNewsBeat.com commented in an article about Sodexo's use of Starship robots. "Robots delivering food are becoming more common on college campuses. This month, students at University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., began ordering snacks and beverages for the first time from a bright-colored roving robot on wheels known as the Snackbot. At the University of California at Berkeley, a food delivery company called Kiwi launched its robots on campus last year."