Reno Reporter

University of Nevada, Reno students headed back to campus for the fall semester will notice the new addition of autonomous food delivery robots around the school.

The Starship Delivery robots will be delivering food and drinks from various restaurants and cafes located on the university campus.

"We're excited to be one of the first causes in the world to be able to offer this service to our students, staff and faculty," Heidi Rich, marketing director for Nevada Dining, said in a release on the school's website. 

Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services, which handles food service management at the university, partnered with Starship Delivery to bring autonomous food delivery troops to campus this fall.

"We continue to expand our dining options and now, with Starship Technologies, are able to offer a contactless, low-cost, fast and friendly way to deliver," Rich said in the release. 

A fleet of 40 Starship Delivery robots will deliver food and drinks throughout the University of Nevada, Reno campus this fall. 

"We kindly ask our campus community to be patient with Nevada Dining and our delivery robots as they continue to map and configure their service for our campus,” Rich said in the release. “We look forward to our launch when they will be delivering from most of the Nevada Dining restaurant locations by Monday, August 23.”

Using an app, customers can track their orders as the robots move across campus; and for those with big appetites, the robots can carry up to 20 pounds of food, which is the equivalent of about three shopping bags of groceries. 

According to Starship's website, the robots can travel autonomously within a 4-mile radius, but humans who monitor each, can take control at any time. 

The robots weigh no more than 100 pounds and travel at the speed of the average pedestrian, according to Starship.