Campus ID News
Card, mobile credential, payment and security
FEATURED
PARTNERS
StarshipBot2 1

Northern Arizona University robots expedite food delivery

Andrew Hudson   ||   Mar 28, 2019  ||   ,

The companies behind the innovative robot deliveries at George Mason University have rolled their solution onto a new campus as Northern Arizona University robots hit the pavement. Students can now order food for robotic delivery after NAU deployed a fleet of more than 30 autonomous robots.

According to an official university release, the robot delivery program at Northern Arizona is being operated by a partnership between food-service vendor Sodexo, and Starship Technologies, the company that developed the robots. Students at NAU can now place food orders for delivery by the rolling robots from several retail partners around campus.

Northern Arizona is the second university to deploy the delivery robots, following the January announcement that George Mason University would be the first higher education campus to trial the solution. Since the go-live date at George Mason, the initiative has been deemed a success and has led to an extra 1,500 breakfast orders being placed and delivered autonomously.

Northern Arizona, Sodexo and Starship hope the convenience of the delivery bots will lead to increased consumption of breakfast, as studies have linked breakfast consumption with improved academic performance.

The delivery initiative is open to all of Norther Arizona's 25,000 students and faculty. To use the program, users simply download the Starship app to place orders for food and drinks, with deliveries anywhere on campus in just minutes.

Students place an order through the Starship app, drop a pin on an interactive map to mark a delivery location, and can then follow the robot along on the same interactive map to track the the delivery bot's location while en route. Users then receive a push notification when the robot arrives and unlocks the roof compartment of robot to retrieve the order. Each robot can carry up to 20 pounds.

For now, users at NAU must pay with credit or debit cards, but deliveries will soon work in conjunction with the NAU student meal plan. Until then, the university is offering a $2.00 off promotion by entering “HELLONAU” in the promo code field on the Starship app.

To help spread word of the initiative, students can also snap a selfie with the robot on their first order, share on social media with @starshiprobots, and post it in the NAU Starship Delivery Facebook group to receive a $3 off promo code. Each standard delivery thereafter carries a $1.99 delivery charge.

“Northern Arizona University is proud to partner with Sodexo and Starship to bring this creative and innovative technology to our Flagstaff campus,” says Rita Cheng, President of Northern Arizona University. “This new robot delivery service complements the service on our premier residential campus and serves to enhance the exceptional dining and food offered to our students, faculty and staff.”

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

RECENT ARTICLES

Jeff Koziol, Allegion, talks about custom DESfire keys

Why custom DESfire keys give campuses more control

Jeff Koziol says DESFire has become the preferred credential technology standard on campus, and he advocates for a custom DESfire site key approach. This, he says, allows institutions to own and control their credential infrastructure rather than relying on a manufacturer-controlled system. In this way, campuses gain greater flexibility in selecting vendors, integrating new technologies, […]
BYPPOCampus food delivery
Jul 23, 26 / ,

BYPPOCampus food delivery employs students, integrates meal plans, eliminates vehicles

As university life evolves, so does the way students access food delivery. Traditional services like Uber Eats and DoorDash can be challenging to integrate on a campus. Key delivery points are often inaccessible via cars and physical addresses can be vague. This frustrates drivers unfamiliar with the campus. The departure of Starship’s delivery robots from […]
Paul Bowers University of Michigan video promo

Bots streamline card production at University of Michigan

Faced with thousands of incoming students and a growing volume of conference credentials, the University of Michigan found itself relying on a surprisingly manual process. Its legacy card production software lacked print queue functionality, requiring staff to repeatedly initiate print jobs throughout the day. To keep up, the institution hired temporary workers each summer, but […]
CIDN logo reversed
The only publication dedicated to the use of campus cards, mobile credentials, identity and security technology in the education market. CampusIDNews – formerly CR80News – has served more than 6,500 subscribers for more than two decades.
Twitter

Great inverview on the Public Key Open Credential (PKOC) standard with ELATEC's Jason Ouellette, Chairman of the Board for the @PSIAlliance.

Attn: friends in the biometrics space. Nominations close Friday for the annual Women in Biometrics Awards. Take five minutes to recognize a colleague or even yourself. http://WomenInBiometrics.com

Load More...
Contact
CampusIDNews is published by AVISIAN Publishing
315 E. Georgia St.
Tallahassee, FL 32301
www.AVISIAN.com[email protected]
Use our contact form to submit tips, corrections, or questions to our team.
©2026 CampusIDNews. All rights reserved.