Editors Note: This story has been updated with more information from University Housing and Dining Services.

During the month of August, the Starship delivery robots will be temporarily out of service due to maintenance in the facility that houses the robots.

Kerry Patterson, Director of Campus Dining and Catering, oversees the operations of the robot food delivery program.

According to Patterson the actual robots themselves will not be undergoing maintenance, but the room they are housed in needs renovated.

“The flooring in this area needs to be removed and replaced,” Patterson said. “This meant removing all of the support services and any other robot essentials. Temporary setup in another space was not feasible.”

The need for renovation of the robot storage room led to the temporary suspension of the robot food delivery services for the month of August.

The Starship robots have been on campus since October of 2020. The robots provide delivery services to teachers, students, and faculty. 

“Robots are supplied to OSU by Starship Technologies based on the demand for their service, so orders can be delivered as quickly as possible,” Patterson said. “When not making deliveries, the robots have a home in the Memorial Union.”

The robots traverse more than 500 acres of campus to provide a contactless delivery service stated on one OSU website. According to Patterson, robot maintenance is not done all at once.

“Starship Technologies robot technicians monitor and maintain the robots throughout the year to ensure that there are no interruptions to service,” Patterson said.