Instead of Human Shippers, Delivery Robots Will Ship Coffee & Pizzas To This College

The George Mason University, in Fairfax County, Virginia, has offered self-driving delivery robots to its students. This aims to tackle the difficulties in delivering the daily grocery students are facing at college’s hostels.

The delivery robots are ready for delivering pizzas or coffee on the campus.

These delivery robots are made by Starship Technologies, a firm that is dedicated to developing self-driving vehicles. Students will get pizzas and Starbuck coffee delivered by more than 20 autonomous robots.

The exact number of robots is 25, and the maximum weight they can load is 9 kg. According to the Fast Company, students can install a specific app on their smartphones to enjoy the new delivery service, from ordering the goods to receiving after only 15 minutes. When these robots reach the destination, they just need to unlock their compartment to get the goods out, of course, via the app.

The developers at Starship Technologies combined cameras with navigation technology based on radar and ultrasound to drive these delivery robots on campus. The integrated AI helps them to give instant decisions if necessary, for example, when an obstacle is available in their ways. In addition, they are also programmed not to collide with pedestrians.

Here are the autonomous robots manufactured by Starship Technologies.

Virginia has officially used autonomous robots as shippers for two years, from 2017 to now. With all of the 25 robots sent to George Mason University, the company may be testing their products’ efficiency. These advanced robots are expected to reduce the amount of carbon emission caused by conventional pizza or coffee delivery vehicles.