The important thing to know is we can move in robots based on the amount of demand. So every campus is different. We have, you know, just the right amount of robots to meet the need of that campus that could be 20 robots that could be 50 robots, we really build a custom offering for that environment.

Welcome to focus, a podcast dedicated to the business of Higher Education. I'm your host, Heather Richmond. And we will be exploring the challenges and opportunities facing today's higher learning institutions. In today's episode, I'm speaking with Chris Snyder, from Starship Technologies to learn all about their delivery robots, and how they are changing the campus experience. Hi, Chris, thanks so much for taking the time to join us today.

Excited to be here.

That's great. Well, I have been looking forward to talking with you about these robots for a long time. But before we jump into the good stuff, do you mind telling me just a little bit about your background?

Sure. I've been with starship technologies for almost four years now. So in my role on the business development team, I helped launch all of our many of our new projects around the US. So I helped lead our university deployments. And now my team is responsible for leading universities across the country, and helping those grow and develop into the great operations that they are.

That's awesome. So, let's talk about starship technologies, where’d this cool robot idea come from?

Yeah, great question. So our founders are some of the founders who started Skype. So we started back in 2014, in the country of Estonia, in a place called Tallinn. And they had kind of this, this great idea to disrupt the last mile logistics, and, you know, kind of what they had helped do with the telecommunications with Skype, you know, and enabling kind of a better way to call across borders and throughout the world. And so they wanted to kind of set their sights on the next challenge. And this was the area that they saw as an opportunity to do something cool. And amazing. So 2014 is when we began, you know, in Estonia, as I mentioned, and we've been deploying robots all over the world ever since.

That is so cool. So how did it really kind of venturing into the higher ed space? How did that work out?

Yeah, so you know, here in the US, you know, when you look around, you know, where is there a demographic that would probably understand this technology, and also be excited to use it. And, you know, where are there a lot of 18 to 22 year olds? Well they're on college campuses. Yeah. So I think we've tried a lot of different things. And we continue to do a lot of different deployments and integrations. And we started with universities a little over three years ago, and it caught on, students loved it, staff, and faculty loved it as well. And we just saw a use case and a need there that was working. So that was an area here in the US that we started to accelerate. I do want to call out that we do a bunch of neighborhood grocery delivery all over the world as well. So universities is not the only thing, the only one trick pony that we do. But it is something in the US that's proven to be a great opportunity, and a great use case to help people get the stuff they want where they want it. 

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense there. So kind of thinking about around campus. I mean, it says, you know, kind of grocery, so you're kind of really more in the food delivery, or what are the different areas on campus?

Yeah, so mainly on college campuses as food delivery. We do partner with the C stores, you know, the little convenience stores that are on campuses, we are moving a bunch of that stuff around. But really, you know, think about going back to your college experience, right? You're pressed for time in between classes, and you maybe only have an hour, or 30 minutes. And you want to do stuff with your friends, wherever you are on campus, you don't maybe want to wait in line. So the robots really help with all that, they help students and like I said, staff and faculty use it as well, you know, go about their day and do the stuff they need and have that little robot go do the hard work and pick the stuff up and bring it right to wherever you are. And that's not just your dorm or your library, on a beautiful day maybe you're sitting in the in the park, maybe you're sitting out with your friends, having a study group or playing and the robot can come right there and bring you the stuff you want. 

That is so cool. I kind of want my own personal robot right now.

Pull up the app, and you do.

Oh, there you go. Okay, I love it. That's great. So thinking about these little robots all around campus running around, I have to ask Chris, do they have a name? Did you name these guys?

We do not name them, other then 60 135. You know, but that doesn't mean that students don't try to name them and come up with cute names on campus and maybe even you know, call them something on some Instagram or Tiktok post. Yeah, but you know, we just call them the Starship robot but every robot is numbered and you know, so it has a unique identifier but you know, there's no Sally or Wally or any specific name that we give them personally.

I think it's probably best, I think it's probably fun. Maybe there's even a contest on campus. It's like name the robot and they can kind of do a little branding sticker or something.

Yeah, I will say that we do see students sometimes try to name them, like you said, and put a sticker on the robot, you know. And so in some of our locations at universities, we've got walls with all the names that people have put on a robot and sent back to us.

Oh, cool. That is so fun. So it's funny. Yeah. So just kind of thinking about that. Let's talk about the technology now, how do these robots, how do they know where to go?

Yeah, good question. Well, we use a whole series of different technology to help navigate the world safely. We have cameras on the robot, we have little radars, we have what we call ultrasonic sensors. And these three types of technology come together to build what we'll call sensor fusion, right. So imagine this bubble of awareness around the robot. And a lot of the camera technology is very similar to what you'll see on a Tesla, we call it a time, it's called the time of flight camera, which allows it to safely navigate the world really throwing off vectors and lines to help you understand the world around it, less about like a video game like you and I would think but more around, you know, measuring distances and understanding angles to help see the world around it. Another key piece to know is what we do before we deploy in areas, we drive that little robot around, right, so we build a little map of the area, so that it can safely navigate in that area. Because there might be you know, streets or potholes, or different crossings that might not be ideal for the robot. And guess what, it can take an alternate path, it doesn't have to use the same path that you and I would take, it's totally fine to go take some other road that just might be more efficient, or might be safer for the robot to travel down or easier to cross the street. And one other thing, when you think about crossing the street, we crossed the road over 100,000 times a day, around the world with these little robots. So very early on, we had to learn how to safely navigate the world that you and I, you know, easily cross the street with every day.

Wow, that's amazing to think about that. And it's a really I'm going to say the robot is the beginning of the driverless car, it sounds like.
 
Yeah, they're, you know, different speeds and technology. So we travel at only about four and a half miles an hour, if you will. So a safe speed on the sidewalks because it has to live next to you and I walking around. So we aren't traveling at car speeds. And so we've got just a different threshold of safety. But again, safety is the most important thing. And like to say the robot is about 99% autonomous, because there's, you know, that 1% you just can't program for and robots will see something and they can call home, they can call one of our operational centers where somebody can update a map or make a change or do something to move the robot out of the way if they needed to. So there's always kind of that, that fallback technology and capability because, again, you can't program everything. And the robots can't just do anything that you want.

We wish they could, though. That is true. So how does you said a minute ago about just opening the app? So is this your own app is integrated in let's talk a little bit about the app.

Good question. So, we, it's our own app, right, you download the Starship app on your iPhone or Android. You open the map up, you select your location, and then you're going to see what we'll call the service area. Right. So a defined area where delivery is available with a cute little robot. And then you pick the merchants. So hey, maybe I want to get a Starbucks, maybe I want to get a burger, you pick the merchant you want add that item to your cart in the traditional food orient experience. That's kind of where the traditional ends, right, you hit order it goes to the restaurant and robots moving in position to go get that order for you. And you get alerted the whole time. So classic, right like some of the other experiences. Food is being made, but then once that order is put in the robot get to track that little robot heading right to you. And once it arrives to wherever you put that pin, and you bring your phone with you swipe a button on the app that will unlock the lid because again, we want to make sure when that food gets put in your stuff is safely secured. And you swipe that button unlock the lid take your stuff out. Robot will say something cute to you, you know, have a great day, here's your delivery. And then close the lid and off it goes on its next adventure.

That is so cool. So kind of thinking about these guys going around campus. I'm assuming they're probably more kind of at the ground level and they probably can't climb stairs yet. Is that right?

That is correct. Robots have a difficult time opening doors and climbing up stairs. Now they can climb a curb. So they have the ability to climb up a curb. But you know here in the US we've got the ADA, you know, has done a great job, you know, making lots of great curb cuts for folks out in the world. So we're able to utilize that capability and really don't need the curb climbing capability here in the US. But in Europe, there is no ADA. So that's where when we develop the robot in those early days, you really need an ability to get up and over a curb.

Okay, gotcha. And so just kind of thinking about all the other campus systems, you know, you said, you're kind of dialing in to get the dining and getting the food order. So how does that work in terms of integrating with the different campus systems?

Yeah, so the dining dollars, you know, kind of the bucks that we all had on our card, if we lived on campus, that's a very important piece of the ordering experience. So you know, we integrate with the card provider that's on that campus, right, you know, Touch Net, has many schools and we’re on a bunch of schools together. So we work together to integrate those systems that allow a student to use that tender type right in the Starship app, and get the great stuff they want using that currency. So that's a key part of the college experience, but also a key part of integrating on a college and also allowing folks to get what they want.

Yeah, that's very cool. So kind of thinking about that user experience. Can you just sort of drill a little bit more about what does that experience like to the end user?

Sure, I'd say the only place that that really arises, is at the very end. And that's usually only on your first order. So you know, let's say you've downloaded the app for the first time. And then you've placed the items in your cart, and you come to the end getting ready to make a purchase. Well, you got to decide what form of tender do you want to use? You can use credit card, or you can use you know, your student tender. So at that point, you'd enter your normal credentials, and via our integration that would allow you to use that tender type and select which one you wanted to use. Now, the good news is just because you turn it on for the first order doesn't mean you have to use it for the next order. Let's say you maybe you know, ran out of money and didn't reload it and want to use a credit card, you can easily select between which type of tender you want to make that purchase. Once you've done that the first time it's saved. So you can just come back and switch between the different tender you want to use on your next Starship transaction.

That sounds easy enough.

Very easy. Yep. I think it's a three click process.

Oh, man. Yeah. Thinking back in the way back machine that would have been nice on campus. All those lines? That's great. Well, I know that you guys, you know, of course, you're working with a lot of schools. And so maybe, you know, just talking a little bit about how you're seeing this changing how, you know, campuses are really doing business.

Yeah, I think, you know, COVID accelerated a lot in the adoption for a touchless, digital ordering and delivery experience. So I think that really sped so much up. And what we're seeing across campuses all over the United States, is this, isn't it nice to have, this is a have to have, a must have. And so while we have this incredibly cute, amazing technology, right? That will bring you this stuff and make you smile. It's really built on a digital platform, right. So all the technology you get to order right from your phone, the merchants, you know, use all the digital stuff, we provide the tablets, the runner phone, and a bunch of other technology and to allow for that seamless experience. So across the board, universities see digital ordering and delivery, I think as a core capability that's needed in this age that we're all living in now. And what COVID has also done I think, is just, you know, accelerated that adoption in need. But so much of us have, I think less time, right, we're doing a lot we're piling a lot on. And if there's a way to get some of that time back. That's pretty nice to have. And that's what we help do is don't stand in that line, don't leave that spot at the library. Don't, you know, have to go stand in a building on that beautiful day, let us do that work for you. And bring it right to you. And the university and the dining partners get to help enable that and give the students and the staff and faculty what they're already getting at home in many ways.

Absolutely. Yeah. It's really interesting. So I'm kind of thinking it as this is being adopted. And I think again, it's all about student experience. And you're absolutely right, is the expectations. So thinking about that? How many robots does a campus need?

Yeah, so I'd say that, you know, that's a good question to ask. And the important thing to know is we can move in robots based on the amount of demand so every campus is different. The size of the campus, the amount of students that are there, the amount of merchants that are available. So I'll just say that we have, you know, just the right amount of robots to meet the need of that campus. That could be 20 robots that could be 50 robots, right. And our systems are set up in such a way that we really build a custom offering for that environment. You know, that's everything from where the robots line up at a merchant, to the streets they cross, to the buildings that they're going to deliver to maybe it's the front door, the side door and the back door, because all three of those are important. And so we built our technology to allow for that customization because truly no campus is the same. The one thing that is the same as they're going to be unique in their own way, and you have to be able to meet that need. So that kind of goes into I think the amount of robots is really driven by each campus, and what the particular parameters are there.

Yeah, and I'm assuming too that, that probably changes. So with all the being, you know, having a digital platform and being able to do the reporting, a campus can see like, oh, I really did have more robots, you know, this time, because this is a big break type of type of format.

Yeah, and things change over time as well. Right, what you may have launched with and started with may not be the thing that, you know, six months later, is needed, right? Maybe there is expanding dining halls, expanding residential halls, new merchants that weren't available when, when we opened, and that could mean more use more demand and more areas, that delivery is needed. You know, or, or vice versa, maybe some areas have shrunk. So, you know, what's great is we built the system from the beginning to be able to support that type of customization to meet the needs of the university, the dining and fundamentally the community that is using this service.

Yeah, I think that's great. So yeah, I asked, you know, do the robot sleep and where do they sleep at night?

They do. Everybody needs a good rest at night. Even the robots. So you know, on every campus, we have a little home base, you know, where some structured team members are, and a bunch of those are often students that we hire to help engage in this new technology. That's also where the robots live. You know, so at night, they'll drive home to their little spot, you know, get a get a cleaning, get plugged in, and get ready for service the next day. So that's yeah, these aren't just living out, you know, in the wild out on the street, like, you know, other technology that's out there, they have a home, and a team to take care of them.

That is awesome. That is really great. And so I'm assuming because they're so cute, and just running around, there's probably not a ton of marketing that has to let students know, hey, we have this now. Is there?

There is some marketing. I mean, the robots are their own cute little billboard driving around-what's that? Oh, that's a little Starship delivery robot. Okay, cool. But we do partner with the dining folks, the university folks, because believe me when these robots are on campus, especially if you've come on for the first time, it's, woah, what is that? There's all the cool stuff that the robot can deliver. Maybe it's a game ball, right? Maybe it's an award for special ceremony, these robots really do become a part of, you know, every university that they're a part of, and often a mini mascot, if you will. So I would say the marketing we see and do is less traditional, right? Because the robot is less traditional. But there's always a collaboration with all of our partners to figure out what cool things and cool ways can we, you know, enable the robot to do and deliver?

I think that's really great. I bet it's awesome when, on a campus and potential students are coming in and having their campus tour and seeing robots. That has to be like, oh, cool, Mom and Dad, I gotta go to this school.

I mean, that is one of the things that is pointed out, that is the head turner for sure. The robot goes by and I mean, I've been on many of these campuses and seeing those tour groups, it's like, you know, you see everybody pointing what is that? You know, that's a little robot. That's, our Starship robot delivery. So it's, you know, there's not hundreds of campuses yet, or thousands of campuses yet in the country. So you know, it is still a sight to see. And still something that everybody is literally pointing their finger at and want to know more. 

That is so cool. So what's next, let's think about the future, how's this can, you know, continue to evolve?

You know, I? That's a great question. I think it's right now, this is the form factor we have today. So you know, there isn't like, you know, nine different sizes coming next month or anything crazy. This robot in the size that it is today really delivers, you know, the key stuff that is needed in so many use cases. So I think what the future has is, what else can the robot deliver? Right, is that you know, moving bookstore items is, you know, maybe library and other items that are needed, what other groups on campus might need things moved. What about off campus? You know, every university is in a community that we're in, what are the other needs of that community? Like I mentioned, we're doing a ton of grocery delivery around the world. So I think it's really more of the same. And in some instances, some unique different things that we can move around. So I think just expect to see these robots in more universities, more towns, more cities, moving stuff and bringing you the things you want to order so you don't have to go wait in that line.

Yeah, you know, it’s interesting, you talked about the different sizes, I know that it was very intentional, the size of the robots are can you expand on that?

Yes, yeah, we have spoken about that I think in the past, which is, if you were to stand behind the robot, it's shoulder width apart. That's how wide it is. And again, that was deliberate. And by design, because that robot has to share the sidewalk with you and I and, you know, oftentimes a bunch of families. So in the neighborhood delivery that we do, kids love these little guys, they talk about stickers, they're putting love notes in the robots. And those are what are coming back to our little hubs. And so that design is deliberate. And when you think about other form factors in the future, you know, I won't even touch that, because we've got something that is cute, that works, and that people have really fallen in love with. And that is, you know, doing the job today that is needed.
 
Absolutely. Well, I can't see how anybody would not want to get one of these little guys on campus. So maybe just talk a little bit about for our schools out there who were thinking about bringing robots to campus, you know, what are the questions you get the most and or maybe what should they be thinking about?

You know, I will bring up one of the, you know, kind of key questions that hit us some times, as you know, what about Friday night, if somebody, you know, tries to mess with it, and you know, what happens there? Well, because these robots have become a part of the campus, we really see very little of that kind of negative interaction. And again, you know, the robots driving around and moving. So that's one of the, actually the first questions. But in terms of bringing this to your campus, we've really built, you know, kind of a holistic approach. I talked about customization earlier, right? And really tailor and experience for each university, and got a big team that does this. So you know, we're a growing startup, I want to say we're probably over 1000 people now inside of this company. And so you've got a lot of folks that helped make this happen. This isn't, you know, kick some robots out of a van. And wish everybody luck, right? You know, there's a team that that helps the university stand up, and that helps, it runs smoothly. So it's a very simple process. And usually, it's about meeting the right people at each university and seeing is believing, right, so what we've seen oftentimes is, you know, when you bring that robot to campus, oh, this is real, this can work. Yeah. And oftentimes, they've already gone to visit the robot at another campus. And because of that approach, right, you know, I think that is just what makes the day in terms of helping people understand it, helping people get it and that there's always somebody there to help support it beyond just the robot. That big team of incredible folks to help make it a reality.

Wow, this has been so great, Chris so thank you so much for coming to talk with me today all about robots. But can you let our listeners know where to find you they're interested in learning more about starship?

Sure, go to www.starship.XYZ. So excited to you know, share a ton more in the future and I’ve loved being able to talk about this. Thank you so much for the opportunity to tell the story.

No problem, Chris. I'm sure we’ll be catching up again very soon. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Focus. Don't forget to subscribe so you can stay up to date on the business of higher education. For more information, check us out at touchnet.com