The University of Tennessee is the latest university to deploy delivery robots from Starship Technologies. The number of campuses turning to delivery robots is seemingly on the rise, and Tennessee joins a roster of campuses both large and small that are now delivering food to students via the autonomous robots.
The delivery robots are still in the trial phase at Tennessee, but the first official day of operation is slated for the second week of March. Local NBC affiliate WBIR captured the robots in action on the Knoxville campus.
The delivery robots will operate from 8:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. daily. Students can order food or groceries via the Starship app, and vitally, the robot delivery service accepts both campus Flex and Dining Dollars as forms of payment.
The university has also created a signup page that will send students the direct link to download Starship’s mobile app. Once downloaded, students can use the Starship app to place orders for delivery anywhere on campus.
Starship officials have been on the Knoxville campus during the week leading up to launch, monitoring the robots and ensuring the launch is a smooth one.
Tennessee deployed 25 Starship robots during its trial period. Going forward, the robots will deliver orders from 13 dining locations on campus.
