Yandex SDG and Grubhub Launch Robot Delivery at The Ohio State University
The Big 10 school is the first campus to deploy Grubhub delivery via Yandex robots as students return for the fall semester
Yandex Self-Driving Group and Grubhub, the leading online and mobile food-ordering and delivery platform on college campuses, will roll out delivery via Yandex’s robots at its first college campus — The Ohio State University (OSU).
More than 60,000 hungry Buckeyes will be able to order their favorite foods from on-campus dining locations via the Grubhub app and have them delivered by one of 50 Yandex robots operating at the OSU campus in a fast and cost-effective way. The rovers operate from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. Students can request robots to deliver food to every residence hall on campus as well as Thompson Library and Bricker Hall.
Yandex robots autonomously navigate pavements, campus crosswalks and pedestrian areas, which are notoriously challenging to reach by car. They move around a large university campus swiftly at 3 to 5 miles per hour during daytime and after dark and in various weather conditions, including rain and snow. The robots are spacious enough to fit a couple of coffees and a bagel sandwich, or multiple pizzas to share with friends, all while keeping the food at the right temperature.
“By partnering with Grubhub, we can bring robotic delivery to some of the people who need it most — students, researchers and professors who are short on time,” said Peter Szelei, business development executive at Yandex SDG. “Not only do the rovers enhance the current food delivery options, but open new possibilities for smarter, better and faster dining. Imagine ordering morning coffee and grabbing it from a robot waiting at your doorstep as you head out to class, or studying in a park with friends and requesting a rover to roll up and deliver snacks. We’re thrilled to support making these possibilities a reality.”
“We’re excited to bring this cutting-edge and efficient delivery experience to students at The Ohio State University,” said Brian Madigan, vice president of corporate and campus partners at Grubhub. “OSU and Grubhub have worked together for years to offer students a variety of ways to enjoy the food they love on campus. Now we’re building on our efforts to enhance the dining experience through Yandex’s rover technology for quicker and easier deliveries.”
“We pride ourselves on offering an exceptional dining experience to students, and we’re always looking to provide new ways to make getting food on campus as convenient as possible,” said Zia Ahmed, senior director, dining services at The Ohio State University.
We extend our sincere gratitude to those responsible for the successful implementation of the autonomous delivery at The Ohio State University. Our thanks go to the engineers for constantly improving the technology, the on-the-ground support team for ensuring the uninterrupted operation of the service, and the operations team led by Valeriia Verkhovykh for expert coordination and management.
