Grubhub is bringing new delivery robots to college campuses

GrubHub is partnering with Avride, an autonomous robot delivery company, to expand its offerings on college campuses. The pair have launched 100 robots on The Ohio State University's campus, but have plans to expand further. 

“Our robots have already proven their value in campus environments, delivering convenience and delight to students,” said Dmitry Polishchuk, CEO of Avride, in a release. “We’re thrilled to be working with Grubhub to scale this success and expect to see hundreds of our robots serving campuses already in 2025.”

Avride launched a new model last October, notably ditching its six wheels for a more efficient four. The robots can hold a decent amount of food, such as an assortment of pizza and drinks, the company states. They also have customizable LED panels that offer animated designs, such as the college's colors. The robots can also make 180-degree turns instantly, thanks to a new mechanical connection between each side's wheel pairs. Plus, they can move faster than their predecessor and can park on inclines.  

This partnership adds to GrubHub's existing robot delivery presence on campuses. Since 2021, the company claims it has delivered hundreds of thousands of orders using robots on dozens of schools. That year, it partnered with Russian tech company Yandex — which used to house what is now Avride in its autonomous driving wing. However, that bit of the company spun-off as its own entity, divested its Russian assets following the country's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and rebranded as Avride. 

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