Grubhub Will Use Russian-made Robots To Deliver Food on College Campuses (theverge.com) 55
Grubhub and Russian self-driving startup Yandex are teaming up to use robots to deliver food on US college campuses. It represents the latest deal that envisions hundreds of six-wheeled self-driving robots that essentially act as roving lunchboxes in cities across the country. From a report: The robot-powered delivery service won't kick off until this fall when college students return to campus. Yandex, which is often described as Russia's Google, will operate the robots, as well as handle the entire food delivery process. Grubhub, which has partnerships with over 250 college campuses in the US, will serve as the platform for the delivery transactions.
Grubhub cited the cost savings it will get by eliminating the delivery worker from the equation as a potential benefit from the deal with Yandex -- though neither company disclosed the financial terms of the partnership. "We're excited to offer these cost-effective, scalable and quick food ordering and delivery capabilities to colleges and universities across the country that are looking to adapt to students' unique dining needs," said Brian Madigan, vice president of corporate and campus partners at Grubhub, in a statement. Yandex says that its delivery robots can navigate pavement, pedestrian areas and crosswalks, and reach campus areas not accessible by car. "Such functionality enables the robots to handle delivery tasks traditionally performed by people and provides efficient last-mile logistics automation," the company says.
Grubhub cited the cost savings it will get by eliminating the delivery worker from the equation as a potential benefit from the deal with Yandex -- though neither company disclosed the financial terms of the partnership. "We're excited to offer these cost-effective, scalable and quick food ordering and delivery capabilities to colleges and universities across the country that are looking to adapt to students' unique dining needs," said Brian Madigan, vice president of corporate and campus partners at Grubhub, in a statement. Yandex says that its delivery robots can navigate pavement, pedestrian areas and crosswalks, and reach campus areas not accessible by car. "Such functionality enables the robots to handle delivery tasks traditionally performed by people and provides efficient last-mile logistics automation," the company says.
Robots wandering around a university campus (Score:2)
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Yep. There's no way this will work out "cheaper".
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Well, it's sure gonna help a few college kids save a buck or two once they figured out how to reroute the robots on their delivery tours.
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"There's a time and a place for everything, children, and it's called college" - Chef
Just wait for people at the bevice & butthead (Score:2)
Just wait for people at the bevice and butthead level mess with them!
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Given the universities around me, I suspect there will be pranks, but also a lot of missing food
In Soviet Russia, delivery robot steals food from YOU!
Re: Robots wandering around a university campus (Score:1)
Just give them guns (Score:2)
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Let the silly string, spray paint, chewing gum, bras, panties, permanent markers, dildos, shark fin antennas, and condom balloons fly.
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Also, reciprocating saw, attaching a trailer with a mobile geocache, solar-powered dog barking sound effects, solar-powered complaints about the company, solar-powered suggestions about how to save money with easy cooking recipes.
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Let the silly string, spray paint, chewing gum, bras, panties, permanent markers, dildos, shark fin antennas, and condom balloons fly.
I was thinking paintball. Open season with a robot hunting license. Extra points for a camera kill shot.
Nyet! (Score:2, Funny)
I think this is great. I've wanted more Russian inspired food choices.
--
You don't need a silver fork to eat good food. - Paul Prudhomme
Re: Nyet! (Score:1)
*I kid, I kid.
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Russian food I like: (I haven't been to Russia but I had these in Budapest, where I think they were fairly authentic)
Borscht - beetroot and potato soup
Beef stroganoff - beef and mushroom cream based dish
Shashlik - skewers of meat that is marinated in secret sauce
and vodka of course
German food I like:
Bratwurst and pretty much all the other sausages
Schnitzel
those giant pretzel things
and every German beer I tried at Octoberfest
English food I like:
Corn Beef (just like mum used to make)
Fish n chips
Beef wellingto
In mother Russia robots deliver you as dinner (Score:1)
Why not (Score:2)
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Of course, grubhub could pay the schools for "permits" to operate robotic delivery bots on campus. My opinion is that the latter is more likely.
The next Red Dawn will start with breakfast ... (Score:2)
Grubhub Will Use Russian-made Robots ...
And this will be the basis for the next Red Dawn [wikipedia.org] film ...
Tag Line: "Would you like toast or hash browns with your invasion?"
pizza and eavesdropping (Score:2)
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They're just trying to scoop up the leftovers (pun intended) from Facebook's snooping.
We have come a long way from Ferdinand (Score:2)
We have come a long way from Ferdinand [youtube.com] "aka The Beast" that only had the goal of navigating through the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory hallways, and had one additional but very impotent function, automatically recharging itself.
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We have come a long way from Ferdinand [youtube.com] "aka The Beast" that only had the goal of navigating through the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory hallways, and had one additional but very impotent function, automatically recharging itself.
"... the prong insertion servo then rams the prongs into the socket ..." does not sound impotent
University of Michigan (Score:2, Funny)
Why?
Because they're the WOLVERINES!!!
On Communist College Campuses... (Score:1)
Food delivers YOU!!!
Oblig. Para. HAND.
So Super Genius what happens when they get hacked? (Score:1)
Delivery! To High Secure Research Lab! (Score:2)
Self-driving "startup" (Score:4, Insightful)
Russian robot (Score:2, Insightful)
so it'll weigh 2300 lbs, it can be repaired with a hammer and a crowbar, it runs on anything combustible from low-quality petrol to vodka, and it'll run you over when you look at it funny.
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... it'll weigh 2300 lbs, it can be repaired with a hammer and a crowbar, it runs on anything combustible from low-quality petrol to vodka ...
"... and cuts an apple into three pieces! [vimeo.com]"
Yandex is not a "self-driving startup". (Score:5, Informative)
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The article was written by idiots. Yandex is no more a "self-driving startup" than Google is. Yandex is basically the Google of Russia. S
From TFA:
Yandex, which is often described as Russia’s Google,
The jokes write themselves (Score:2)
In this specific case some jokes will be written ON the robots.
Starship (Score:2)
There are a bunch of the Starship robots running around Oregon State University. They're quite cute, but at one place I often see them, they need to use the crosswalk with a light that they go past to use an uncontrolled crosswalk a little ways away. The street they're crossing is very busy and they're rather conservative. One day I saw about a dozen of them backed up waiting to cross, though they did eventually make it (they were gone by the time I came back from picking up my lunch - you basically have
Here is your meat lovers pizza... (Score:2, Funny)
Here is your meat lovers pizza, and by the way the vegans are holding a protest at the common area to encourage the president to stop allowing non-vegan foods on campus.
Goes to the next dorm
Here is you veggie pizza with no cheese, and by the way there are going to be a bunch of guys holding a protest at the common area to stop all vegan alternatives from being served.
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That's pretty funsightful.
5 star reviews (Score:2)
I'll get a burger (Score:2)
with a side of novichok.
Yandex delivery fleet (Score:2)
Will they have Samovars? (Score:2)
More Polonium with your tea, comrade?
They'll be immune to ransomware (Score:2)
They'll all have built-in culturally-based immunity to ransomware. They might also poke you in the thigh with a polonium-filled pellet when you don't pay for the food.
Would you like extra polonium with your order? (Score:2)
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well... what? (Score:2)
Russian food robots (Score:1)
Maybe I can finally get some borscht.
Beer (Score:2)
I saw some incredibly ingenious schemes for getting beer into dorm rooms without the knowledge of the resident staff when I was at University. I predict these robots will assist the next generation of students in carrying on that time-honored tradition.
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I saw some incredibly ingenious schemes for getting beer into dorm rooms without the knowledge of the resident staff when I was at University. I predict these robots will assist the next generation of students in carrying on that time-honored tradition.
I'd occasionally volunteer to be an overnight chaperone events on campus, such as tech days. No cash but the beer we confiscated more than made up for it.
This will end well (Score:1)
I can imagine students, homeless people, or anyone "accidentally" knocking one of these over into a ravine and grubbing grubhub's grub.
If one of these POS gets in my way hogging the bike lane while going ~8 mph / ~10 kph, I'm going to find a way to cure what ails it with a swift kick in the PIT maneuver.
Russian Robots (Score:2)