Delivery robots are officially taking over Maryland’s Salisbury University!
Salisbury University was founded in 1930, a proud member of the University System of Maryland. Some of the available degrees in this school include Accounting, Biology, Chemistry, Health and Human Performance, Latin American Studies,Theatre, and so much more.
Previously, Ridesharing Forum about Avride providing robotaxis in Dallas. Avride is a technology company specializing in autonomous vehicles, developing both robotaxis, otherwise referred to as self-driving cars, as well as ground-based delivery robots for foods and other goods.
They utilize shared technology between their various vehicle types, aiming to provide a safer and more reliable, as well as efficient transport and delivery. They operate in collaboration with food delivery and ridesharing apps.
Recently, the world saw another initiative coming into fruition with this, as several delivery robots are already being spotted around the campus. For instance, a delivery robot was spotted one afternoon just in front of the library.
The robot features four wheels, rolling its way into the Tunnel by Maggs Gym, before crossing the street towards Fulton. Impressive.
Avride is taking ownership of these robots. This company designed them to deliver food orders, particularly those made through Grubhub, directly to the students. These robots are bound to facilitate a faster, cheaper, and contactless delivery of the robots, with some systems influenced by contactless services during the pandemic.
At the back of the robots is a scannable QR code so students can learn more about the different features of these devices.
Avride told Ridesharing Forum that these robots are armed with several cameras, so they could see their surroundings, as well as a 360-degree viewe sensor with three sensor levels. It also has a LiDAR for all-weather operations at every part of the day. Defined, LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging, a remote sensing technology that uses pulsed laser light to measure distances, creating precise 3D maps of Earth’s surface or objects within it.
Ultrasonic sensors are also the other features of the delivery robots. These help them quickly react to incoming cars and pedestrians, plus a battery life of over 12 hours, and a computer unit to ensure the best performance.
Jahnaiya Sutherland, the university president, stated, "We have about 7,000 undergraduate students, give or take some are online and some commute, but the amount of students who use the Grubhub app has actually shown Grubhub this will be a good investment on our campus.”
Sutherland added that these robots are just familiarizing themselves with the landscape of the university, so students must feel free to welcome them with open arms.
Jason Rhodes, the spokesperson of the school, further noted that the university will operate a total of 20 delivery robots. Grubhub is charging a $3.5 fee per order for the students to be able to use them. They will reportedly be fully operational this spring.
“I think it will benefit the campus community,” a student at the university, Brendan Wilberger, told Ridesharing Forum. “Most campuses nowadays have these, so it shows Salisbury is keeping up with the times.”
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