IU launches Grubhub food delivery robots on Bloomington campus

Written from press release, and video transcript

The autonomous robots will deliver food from campus dining locations to more than 60 sites across IU Bloomington.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana University is rolling out a fleet of autonomous Grubhub food delivery robots on the Bloomington campus, giving students, faculty, staff and visitors a new way to order meals from campus dining locations.

IU previewed the robots Thursday during a media demonstration at The Vault Pub inside the Indiana Memorial Union. The small, four-wheeled robots, operated through a partnership with Grubhub, are designed to carry food orders across campus without a human driver.

Rahul Shrivastav, IU’s executive director of dining and hospitality, said the university has 24 autonomous delivery vehicles ready for the program. He said users order through the Grubhub app, select a delivery location on campus, and the robot brings the food to them automatically.

“They find your location. They map it to you, and they come to you automatically,” Shrivastav said during the demonstration. “There’s no drivers, nothing. So they deliver the food right to you where you are.”

The service will deliver to more than 60 locations across the IU Bloomington campus, according to IU. Shrivastav said the delivery fee is $3.50 per order, no matter where the customer is on campus. Students may use their meal plans to pay for eligible food orders, but the delivery fee is separate.

The robots will deliver from IU Dining retail locations, including The Vault Pub and other campus food outlets. During the demonstration, food was delivered in IU to-go containers, including hot items and drinks carried inside the robot’s storage compartment.

Shrivastav said the robots can operate in rain and light snow, though heavier snow may limit service. He said the same Avride robots have operated in winter weather elsewhere, including during a snowstorm in Texas.

The rollout follows more than a year of planning and testing, according to IU. Shrivastav said students responded positively during testing and that the service is intended to improve convenience on a large campus.

“I’m super excited to get this onto our campus,” Shrivastav said. “Our students are looking forward to it. I know they’re looking forward to it because when we tested it, they were all about it.”

Visitors may also use the service by signing up through the Grubhub app as a visitor and selecting the IU campus. Shrivastav said parents and other campus visitors can order from participating IU Dining locations while on campus.

The robots displayed during Thursday’s demonstration carried Grubhub and Avride branding, with a red safety flag attached above the vehicle. Photos from the demonstration showed the robots operating near the Indiana Memorial Union and Sample Gates.

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