Just a few months after launching a robot food delivery service at George Mason University’s campus in Fairfax, Virginia, Starship Technologies and Sodexo Inc. have launched their robot food delivery service at Northern Arizona University’s (NAU) Flagstaff campus.

​According to Starship, research has shown that up to 88 percent of college students skip breakfast, mainly due to a lack of time. So in an effort to raise awareness of breakfast offerings, Starship and Sodexo have partnered with Einstein Bros. Bagels to offer free breakfast for the remainder of the academic year to the NAU student who places the first order via the Starship app.

“I’m really excited for these robots! Having the ability to get breakfast delivered right to my door simply with my meal plan will be a lifesaver for early classes and long day,” says NAU student Josh Feygin.

NAU’s nearly 25,000 students and faculty can use Starship’s app to order food and drinks from local retailers to be delivered anywhere on campus, within minutes. Each on-demand delivery costs just $1.99, and works in conjunction with the student meal plan. Other participating on-campus retailers include restaurants Cobrizo Mexican Grill, G’s NY Style Deli, and The Wedge Market and Pizza.

The delivery process starts when users open the Starship Deliveries app and select what they want from a variety of food or drink items. After choosing their desired items, users drop a pin where they want their delivery to be sent.

Using an interactive map, users can then watch as the robot makes its journey to them, and once the robot arrives, they receive an alert, and can then meet and unlock it through the app.

The delivery is usually completed within minutes, depending on the menu items ordered and the distance the robot has to travel. Each robot is capable of carrying up to 20 pounds, which is the equivalent of approximately three shopping bags of goods, Starship says.

“We’ve been very pleased with how quickly Starship has been embraced on college campuses,” says Ryan Tuohy, SVP, Business Development, Starship Technologies.

“These campuses are hubs of innovation and activity, with both students and faculty needing convenient and flexible services. Our on-demand delivery is perfectly suited to this environment and we can’t wait to introduce our robots to the students and faculty at Northern Arizona University.”

According to Starship, this is one of the first times that sidewalk delivery robots are operating in Arizona. Arizona is one of just seven states that have approved the operation of delivery robots.

“Last year I sponsored HB 2422 in an effort to clear the way for personal delivery devices to operate in Arizona. It’s great to see the hard work of many stakeholders come to fruition with the introduction of the robots in Flagstaff,” says Rep. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa.

“I look forward to this cutting edge technology being implemented to other parts of the state as well.”