North Carolina A&T University has taken food delivery to a whole new level. NCAT and their food service provider, Sodexo, have partnered with Starship Technologies to release a fleet of 20 on-demand food delivery service robots. Students can use this robot by downloading the Starship Deliveries app, choosing their dining option, and dropping a pin where they want their delivery to be sent.  

Students can then track the robot to them via an interactive map. Once the robot arrives at the designated location, students receive a notification and can unlock the robot through the app to retrieve the food inside. The delivery takes just a few minutes and can carry up to 20 pounds worth of items.  

Some may wonder how these robots can travel to and from on NCAT's busy campus, but these robots have artificial intelligence and sensors. It helps them to travel on sidewalks and navigate around traffic obstacles. The computer vision-based navigation also helps the robots to map their environment to the nearest inch and travel in almost any weather condition which is exceptionally helpful in the rainy city of Greensboro.  

If technology ever fails, the Aggie Dining Team is always available to assist in any emergency situations. As of now, these robots are delivered from three campus eateries, Paavo’s Pizzeria, Qdoba’s, and 1891 Bistro. As the academic year continues, the university plans on offering more on-campus eateries through the food delivery service app.  

NCAT is not the only university Starship has collaborated with over 20 college campuses such as George Mason University, University of Mississippi, and the University of Houston. However, NCAT is the only HBCU using Starship Technologies’ food delivery robots. Angela Peterson, Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Enterprises at NCAT stated, "As a STEM university, NCAT and Sodexo’s partnership with Starship Technologies' autonomous delivery robots falls right in line with what we are about. We are incredibly excited to provide this service to our students to help minimize wait times and do it using a real-world application of technology similar to what some of our students are studying."

How dope is it that we get to be in such close proximity to this type of innovation as students? This is simply another jewel added to this amazing campus experience. 

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Kaylah Kelty is a Senior at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University from Charlotte, NC. Currently, she is pursuing her B.S. in Journalism and Mass Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations. She focuses her craft in PR on the entertainment and travel sector.