George Mason students have a new dining option: Food delivered by robots

At most universities, meal plans allow college students to take advantage of on-campus cafeterias or chow down at local restaurants. Now, thousands of students at George Mason University will have another dining option at their disposal: on-demand food delivery via an autonomous robot on wheels. The school has received a fleet of 25 delivery robots that can haul up to 20 pounds each as they roll across campus at four miles per hour, according to Starship Technologies, the Estonia-based robotics company that created the delivery vehicles. The company -- which claims its robots can make deliveries in 15 minutes or less -- says the Fairfax, Va.-based school is the first campus in the country to incorporate robots into its student dining plan and has the largest fleet of delivery roots on any university campus. "Students and teachers have little free time as it is, so there is a convenience for them to have their food, groceries and packages delivered to them," said Ryan Tuohy, Starship Technology's senior vice president of business development.