NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Say hello to Kiwibot! This little robot landed at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) this week to help deliver food to students.
Kiwibot is a delivery company that serves campuses for sustainable, carbon-free meal deliveries.
Kiwibot operates in partnership with a food services and facilities management company named Sodexo.
So, how does it work? Through Sodexo’s mobile application, Everyday, users can place an order with their chosen restaurant.
A Kiwibot robot will pick up the food and deliver it to the selected drop-off location on campus. Users receive a unique link to track the order and can follow the robot’s location in real time.
“We are always looking for innovative ways to better serve our students and were intrigued when Sodexo introduced this KiwiBots to us,” said Tracy Tyree, Vice President for Student Affairs told the News at Southern. “Having now seen them in action, I couldn’t be more excited to be one of the first public universities in the state to offer robot on-demand food delivery. KiwiBots offer convenience when a student, or faculty or staff member, doesn’t have time to run out for something to eat.”
The hours of operation are from 8 am to 6 pm, and there will be 15 robots operating at the university, according to the News at Southern.
SCSU student Brandon Iovene tells us the Kiwibots are not only convenient but a huge morale boost on campus.
“I have never been happier walking on campus in the morning, they gave me heart eyes this morning, one of them told me I looked good, so I’m really establishing an emotional connection with some of these," Iovene said. They are really the best things ever they’re just having a good time."
Campus leaders say right now they only have about five of the 15 Kiwibots rolling around campus during their soft launch, but they will soon get more of them going. They say one day the robots may even be able to deliver books or healthcare items, but for now they are sticking to food.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for students who are busy to get food on the go," Food Services Director Anthony DeLuca said. "If they know they only have a few minutes between classes they can place an order, have a robot meet them, and they can grab food before they head to their next class."
Learn more about the meal delivery service rollout here.
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Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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