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Franklin and Marshall College has added robot delivery from Kiwibot. The addition of robot delivery is being provided by a partnership between the tech startup and Franklin and Marshall's food-service provider, Sodexo.
Through Sodexo’s new mobile application, Everyday, students can place an order with their chosen restaurant and a Kiwibot will pick up the food and deliver it to the selected drop-off location on campus. Franklin and Marshall have deployed a fleet of 15 robots.
Users receive a unique link to track the order, follow the robot's location in real-time, and to open the lid and retrieve their meal. Robot delivery hours at Franklin and Marshall are from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily.
“Franklin and Marshall is extremely excited to launch Kiwibot on our campus," says Michael Baker, AVP for Auxiliary Services at Franklin and Marshall College. "It is a value-added service that offers an innovative and state-of-the-art food service option for our faculty, staff, and students."
"Additionally, it will allow dining to expand its food offerings with customizable and fully-branded concepts that will resonate with our campus community," adds Baker. "Overall, Kiwibot will further enhance the dining experience at F&M."
By using this new service, students will be able to enjoy their food delivery with zero carbon emissions, helping them reduce their carbon footprints and encouraging delivery services to be as sustainable as possible.
Kiwibot has made noticeable inroads on college campuses recently in part due to its ongoing relationship with Sodexo, a food service and facilities management company.
“The dining experience for college students is such a large part of the experience. We take it very seriously knowing that," says Drew Nieman, Sodexo Dining Services General Manager. "Each year we try to offer new and exciting things and trends to our offerings on campus.
"This year, Kiwibot has already created quite a buzz and we are excited to not only get the offering up and running, but figuring out how to utilize the offering in creative ways over the next few years," adds Nieman.
Kiwibot operates on a semi-autonomous driving system. The robots create a virtual visualization of the world in real-time using on board sensors, reflective flags, night lights, and a range LiDAR. An on-site Kiwibot team will also be available to participate in campus events or to provide additional assistance or immediate support if needed.
