На территории Университета Восточной Каролины запущены новые роботы-курьеры от компании AVRide

New food delivery robots set to roll through ECU’s campus GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - New food delivery robots will begin rolling through East Carolina University’s campus Monday as students return for the new school year. The upgraded models, made by AVRide, replace a previous fleet from Starship Industries and bring new sensor technology and larger storage bins to the campus delivery program. AVRide specializes in self-driving vehicles. The company’s Head of Communications, Laura Lawton, said the delivery robots and autonomous passenger cars were developed together, sharing the same underlying technology. “The autonomous passenger cars as well as the delivery robots were developed hand and hand,” Lawton said. “The technology that’s in the passenger cars directly relates to the technology that’s in the delivery robots.” Each robot has the ECU campus mapped and is equipped with LiDAR, radar, and ultrasonic sensors. The larger bin size on the new models allows the university to expand what can be delivered, including convenience store items. “The larger bins will allow us to add some products from the convenience stores, so a six-pack or a 12-pack of soda,” said Peter Groenendyk, Student Affairs Associate Vice Chancellor. Students place orders through the Grubhub app using an on-campus delivery address. Once the order is ready, employees load it into a robot. The bot can then travel at up to 5 mph, stop for traffic, and wait to cross streets before arriving at the destination. ECU has operated delivery robots on campus since 2023 through a partnership with Starship Industries and Grubhub. When Starship announced it was leaving the market last spring, the university switched to AVRide to maintain the service. Groenendyk said the program averages 200 to 250 deliveries per day. “It’s very popular with our students,” Groenendyk said. “It’s great if a student doesn’t have the opportunity to make it to the dining hall, or they’re in between classes or in a study group, that the robot brings the food right to them.” The robots have previously made headlines after videos of vandalized units circulated on social media in 2023. A robot was also struck and destroyed by an ECU garbage truck in February. Groenendyk said vandalism cases have been few and were committed by people who did not attend ECU. “Our students take great care of them,” Groenendyk said. In January, the university plans to expand the robot-exclusive menu to include items such as nachos, burgers, hot wings, and pizza. 12 robots are set to hit campus, but Lawton says more will come to campus as the demand increases. Students who donate meal swipes to the “Swipe Out Hunger” initiative will also be able to submit name suggestions for the new robots. Copyright 2026 WITN. All rights reserved.