Cal Poly Partnered With AV Ride for Food Delivery

The university has introduced a new fleet of delivery robots to navigate the campus terrain.

Updated on Oct. 1, 2026 in Robotics

Bold vector editorial illustration of a small autonomous food delivery robot on a campus path, representing new campus technology. — Cal Poly Partners has finalized a deal with AV Ride to deploy a new fleet of food-delivery robots across the San Luis Obispo campus. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Cal Poly Partners has selected AV Ride to provide food-delivery robots for the campus. The transition follows the departure of Starship Technologies from the higher education market in June 2026.

Why it matters

The switch became necessary after Starship Technologies exited the campus delivery industry. These new models are designed to overcome local challenges like steep terrain and unsignalized crosswalks that hindered previous robots.

The new robots utilize a LiDAR-based driving system capable of detecting object shapes, sizes, and movement speeds. These units also feature a larger internal capacity for food storage compared to previous models.

The players

Cal Poly Partners

This is the primary university auxiliary organization responsible for managing campus food services and funding the new robotics program.

AV Ride

This is the robotics company selected to provide the new delivery fleet for the campus.

Starship Technologies

This is a global robotics firm that previously provided food-delivery robots to university campuses before exiting the higher education sector.

The details

Cal Poly Partners fully funds the program and anticipates the new robots will cut delivery times in half. The robots are optimized for the campus landscape, including navigating hills and busy intersections.

Fall 2024: Cal Poly initially partnered with Starship Technologies and Grubhub.
June 2026: Starship Technologies exited the higher education industry.
2026-2027 school year: The transition period occurred following the provider change.

The Tech Race

This transition highlights the rapid evolution of autonomous campus logistics as universities pivot away from legacy systems. By integrating advanced LiDAR technology, the institution is shifting from generalized delivery units to specialized robots built for complex local topographies.

Students and faculty should see significantly faster food delivery times across campus. The larger payload capacity of the new robots also means better availability for bulk orders from the 1901 Marketplace.

The takeaway

Reliable campus logistics depend on hardware specifically engineered for the unique topography of the local environment. Users should note that these upgrades focus on navigation precision to avoid the service delays common with standard delivery models.