Technology

Grubhub, Kiwibot team up to deliver more food to college students

The latest robot delivery partnership will debut at the University of North Dakota. Grubhub also has agreements to use robots from Starship and Cartken.
A Kiwibot robot zooms around Loyola Marymount University. / Photo courtesy of Sodexo
A Kiwibot robot zooms around Loyola Marymount University. / Photo courtesy of Sodexo

Delivery giant Grubhub is doubling down on robots. 

The company has teamed up with robotics brand Kiwibot to roll out robot delivery at even more of the campuses it serves. 

The collaboration will debut at the University of North Dakota, with plans for more schools to follow.

"When it comes to the campus dining experience, we see robot delivery as a complementary offering to traditional delivery since the robots can navigate hard-to-reach areas on campuses," Adam Herbert, senior director of campus partnerships at Grubhub, said in a news release. "Our campus partners have been asking for us to help bring this delivery option to their school, and we are excited to partner with Kiwibot to expand this innovative and convenient type of delivery to more colleges across the country."

Grubhub in October teamed up with robotics company Starship Technologies to expand robot food delivery to additional schools.

At that time, Starship and Grubhub jointly provided delivery at five campuses, including the University of Kentucky and Wayne State University, but planned to add more campuses later in the year.

Grubhub partnered with another robotics company, Cartken, in the spring, piloting delivery at Ohio State University.

Grubhub has a presence at over 250 colleges and universities and previously provided robot delivery on U.S. campuses with Russian company Yandex, but that partnership ended following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Kiwibot’s machines can move at the same speed as a walking person and can transport up to 25 pounds, according to the release.

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