Dallas, TX, United States, 11/09/2021 / Top Wire News Reporter /
Another campus, another deployment of self-driving delivery robots. You may not realise it, but delivery robot providers are making a run towards campuses throughout the country in an attempt to get a foothold in more organised areas devoid of many of the regulatory complexities associated with towns.
In the most recent example, Starship Technologies sent 30 autonomous robots for meal service to South Dakota State University. The robots will deliver from three campus vendors: Grille Works, Papa John’s, and Starbucks, with more places to be added shortly.
“The one thing we have learned in recent years is that students and faculty like flexibility in their dining options,” said Doug Wermedal, associate vice president for student affairs at SDSU. “The ability to have something delivered to various locations throughout campus and the community will be impactful to our students and employees as they continue to manage busy and demanding schedules. We are excited about this partnership, the robotics technology and the student employment opportunities Starship will bring to our campus.”
But, do 30 delivery robots serve a college of 14,000 students and faculty? With persistent worries about concentrated dining during the epidemic, there is some argument for the flexibility and public health benefits of contactless delivery. One thing is certain: Starship Technologies has identified college campuses as critical strategic markets in the face of a highly competitive delivery paradigm and evolving regulatory considerations.
While the quantity of robots deployed on campuses isn’t spectacular, the benefit to the firm is. Colleges, in many aspects, are ideal testing grounds for delivery robots. Students often live within a 30-minute delivery radius. The SDSU rollout approach, which integrates with food plans, helps assure a ready client base, and partnering colleges are easily wooed by the appeal of being a forward-thinking university with Silicon Valley connections (Starship is headquartered in the Bay Area). Campuses can provide an excellent proof of concept for a wide range of Starship components, from investors to prospective consumers to regional regulatory agencies that are cautiously approaching robot delivery.
Halfway through 2021, Starship revealed that throughout the epidemic, it has consistently set delivery records in its campus installations.
That mentality bodes well for organisations like Starship, which are not just testing technology but also teaching the next generation of adopters. Other self-driving delivery businesses have taken a similar approach. Flytrex, for example, recently made waves by delivering meal delivery via drone to a golf facility in North Dakota. The restricted access allows management to gather clearances from golfers, allowing Flytrex to evade tough FAA regulations while flying over public areas.
However, while these testbeds are useful for short-term adoption and product improvement, they are insufficient to sustain these businesses. Automation enterprises must still address the tricky problem of local regulatory constraints before widespread adoption may occur. So far, startups like Starship have avoided the blitz mentality of Uber and Bird, which has left local regulators rushing to react, opting instead for a more deliberate deployment.
Source: Submit123News
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