I recently got to experience the new Kiwibots. These have been around sense 2016. The first college campus that tried using them was the University of California. It was a huge hit. The company expanded, and all the college campuses loved them. I really enjoy using these; it is such a fun process.  It is a very fun way to change the delivery. When the Kiwibot arrives at its location, you must open it through Grubhub app with your phone. These bots are programmed to make super cute faces. For example, sometimes it makes star eyes, while other times it makes heart eyes.  

You must order through the Grubhub app found on the app store, and if you are on campus, you can request a Kiwibot to deliver your food when ordering. They only have a couple mile radius currently, so it is currently only accessible on campus. The company does have plans for the near feature about making Kiwibots with more space. Enough space to hold a pizza, along with that, the next wave of Kiwibots that come out are going to be able to travel a lot further than a couple mile radius.  

I was studying at the library and decided to try it because I had been studying for hours. I started by downloading the Grubhub App. You sign up through your college, it will then give you options of what to eat that is available. For example, at the University of North Dakota you can order anything from the Memorial Union, and when you are checking out you must click deliver by Kiwibot. If that option is not available, it is because you are too far away. These bots have to stay relatively close to the Union, because these are only available in a certain radius. 

When the Kiwibot comes, the app sends you an alert. You must then go on the app and open the Kiwibot container. You do this by clicking the alert you get. There will be a bar to slide on the phone. After sliding the bar on your phone, the Kiwibot will unlock. The top will rise open. It is insulated inside, so your food stays warm.  

It is so cool how they can detect when people are in front of them, and they stop moving. Another thing that is super cool about them is that they can cross the street. They can detect when it is okay to cross the street and stop for cars. They can do this with the GPS that is installed in the bot, knowing where to go on campus. They can also do this because they can detect things in front of them, such as stoplights, people, cars, and more.  

 If you have an on-campus house, it will also work to order from them. When the Kiwibot came to the library, it made me laugh. It had little heart eyes when it looked at me. Along with the heart eyes, it also made star eyes, which I thought was super funny. Overall, this experience was particularly good. I think the Kiwibots are so good to use when there is a long study session, and you are studying somewhere on campus. I will be ordering from them again. 

Emma Arteaga is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].