The Robots With Food Have Arrived On The Campus

The robots are taking over the university campuses. Not as Android teachers or virtual students, but as automated food distribution devices.

The University of California at Berkeley and the University of California at Los Angeles were two of the first universities to welcome food distribution robots, called KiwiBot. Now, the company behind the itinerant drone, Kiwi, plans to expand to 15 more campuses, including Harvard and MIT, the company said this week at Articulate, an event in San Francisco on food robotics.

There are currently a handful of application-based food delivery services, from DoorDash to Uber Eats. But the KiwiBot, which looks like a two-foot tall chiller with wheels, has caught the attention of hungry college students and the curious as well. So, this week I decided it was time to finally try it.

After finding a bench under a tree at UC Berkeley, I pulled out my phone to find out how everything works. Ordering with KiwiBot is quite simple: download an application, choose what you want to eat and select the exact delivery location using your GPS coordinates. Users can pay with a credit card or Venmo, a social payment application.

I ordered a carnitas burrito. While waiting for the food, the application notified me the status of the order and, as the food approached, I could see their trip through a live video about the robot.

It took a little time. In about 30 minutes, I finally saw a small orange safety flag crossing my path. The wait could be since the KiwiBot walks at one mile per hour. He parked a couple of feet away from me and the app notified me that my food had arrived. To remove the food, and to avoid possible theft of sandwiches, the user opens the KiwiBot door through a button in the application that appears once the food arrives. A latch opened slowly, I grabbed my burrito, and we both went our separate ways.

The technology behind the robots may still need some adjustments. Last December, a KiwiBot caught fire outside the UC Berkeley student union. The company said the malfunction was caused by a damaged battery and that the robots were temporarily removed from the campus to investigate.

No human was injured in the incident. But the students organized a candlelight vigil for the fallen KiwiBot.

By: Preeti Narula

Content: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-04-19-the-robots-have-arrived-on-campus-they-come-bearing-food