Starship Technologies Launches Robot Delivery Service at Baylor University

January 17, 2023
Robot food delivery service

Grubhub and Starship Technologies have launched a robot food delivery service at Baylor University. (Robert Rogers/Baylor University)

Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-709-5959
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WACO, Texas (Jan. 17, 2023) – With the spring semester underway, Grubhub and Starship Technologies rolled out their robot food delivery service today at Baylor University.

Starship’s fleet of 20 autonomous, on-demand robots will deliver from seven campus eateries at this time: Panda Express, Steak ‘n Shake, two Starbucks locations, Which Wich, Moe’s and Rising Roll. The University’s more than 20,000 students, faculty and staff on campus now can use the Grubhub app (iOS and Android) to order food and drinks from these retail eateries to be delivered to any building on campus, typically within minutes. The service also works with student meal plan Dining Dollars.

“Technology and great food service go hand in hand. We are excited to have these delivery bots on site to enhance the student experience and make dining on campus that much easier,” said Sean McMahon, B.B.A. ’96, resident district manager with Baylor Dining. “These smart robots are also fun to see around campus. We hope the Baylor community enjoys this automated service from some of our on-campus retail locations.” 

To get started, users open the Grubhub app, choose from a range of their favorite food or drink items, then select the location for 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 up to 20 lbs. – the equivalent of about three shopping bags of goods.

Grubhub and Starship already are providing robot food delivery services to campuses across the country. Since launch, those campuses have increased the number of robots, dining options and hours of operation to meet the high demand for the service.

Starship Technologies operates commercially on a daily basis around the world. Its zero-emission robots have made more than four million autonomous deliveries, traveled millions of miles and make more than 140,000 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 both rain and snow. A team of humans also can monitor their progress remotely and can take control at a moment’s notice.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.