Grubhub and Russian tech firm Yandex are launching food-deliveryrobots across US college campuses.- The six-wheeled robots are autonomous and can navigate in dark, wet, and snowy conditions, Grubhub said.
- Yandex has been testing out the
food delivery robots in Russia since 2020.
American college students could have their
Online delivery company Grubhub on Tuesday announced it was teaming up with the Russian-Dutch tech company Yandex to gradually roll out food-delivery robots across 250 US college campuses starting in the fall.
The six-wheeled robots, about the size of a suitcase, are autonomous and can navigate pavements, pedestrian areas, and places inaccessible to cars, according to a statement by Grubhub, which has 33 million active users.
The robots can operate in the dark, and moderate snow and rain, the statement said.
Yandex said it had been testing out the robots commercially in Russia since 2020. The robots were also trialing food deliveries around Ann Arbor, Michigan, in April 2021, the company added.
When the delivery robot is near its destination, the customer receives a Grubhub app notification with the robot's location, Grubhub said in the statement. Once the robot arrives, the customer uses the app to open a hatch and collect the food, the company added.
The robot then moves on to its next delivery, Grubhub said.
Grubhub didn't disclose financial terms of the partnership, or say which colleges would get the robots first. Gruhub told the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that the campuses it would supply are big, with as many as 60,000 students.
Insider has reached out to Grubhub for comment.