Ottonomy announced today that it is working with Sodexo on catering services offered on the European University campus at Villaviciosa de Odón in Madrid, making it the first educational center in Spain to introduce a pioneering food-delivery robot service. The partners have implemented a fleet of autonomous robots prepared to deliver drinks and food efficiently and safely at various external points on the campus located in recreational areas.

The objective of this project is to improve the well-being and quality of life of university students, providing a more comfortable and modern life experience on campus. The arrival of this service “facilitates access to services for students and employees and is another example of the institution’s commitment to innovation and new technologies,” said Sergio Calvo, Director of Communication of the European University.

The Ottonomy Level 4 autonomous delivery robots called Ottobots offer fully autonomous operations and batched delivery capabilities to satisfy the needs of students.

“Our efforts are always geared towards enhancing the end customers’ experience,” said Ritukar Vijay, CEO of Ottonomy. “Multiple unique deliveries and being fully autonomous helps us to bring huge operational efficiencies and manage labor shortages; this enables us to continue to grow with our partners and customers globally.”

Food service delivery with the Ottobot robots is available from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Students place their order through a Sodexo application, by scanning cafeteria QR codes, on the robots themselves, or at outdoor collection points. After placing the order, they receive an SMS with the estimated delivery time (typically around 15 min) and can see the real-time location of the robot and their order. Order pick-up is by entering a code on the robot’s top screen.

The pioneering initiative represents “a technological innovation in the world of catering in university environments that marks a milestone in the continuous improvement of the services offered to clients and consumers,” said Carina Cabezas, the General Director of Sodexo in Spain. She hopes “that this model will contribute to continuing to improve the accessibility of restaurant services to users.”

The robots are programmed to cover the distance to and from the cafeteria to delivery points at the outer areas of the campus. They are equipped to transport both hot and cold products and their capacities allow the simultaneous delivery of up to two orders.

Ottonomy has been active in Europe with previous deployments at the Airport of Roma Fiumicino, but a majority of its work so far is with major U.S. customers. Most recently at CES 2024, it announced two strategic partnerships with Harbor Lockers and Cooler Keg.

Harbor Lockers announced at the show the availability of what it says is North America’s first on-demand locker marketplace nationally and expects growth to 25,000 lockers by 2025. Brands can access the public locker network with no hardware purchase or maintenance costs and the ability to immediately increase scalability, efficiency, and reach. Customers can already access lockers with brands like Best Buy and Home Depot, and on various university campuses via Luxer One.

Ottonomy’s customized Ottobot Locker runs on the Harbor Locker’s app ecosystem, adding a mobility dimension to fixed smart lockers with first- and last-mile delivery. The partnership is backed by a strategic investment from the venture arm of Assa Abloy Group (Harbor’s parent company), Locker One Ventures.

“Integrating first and last-mile options with autonomous robots is paving the way for the future of logistics,” said Arik Levy, a Smart Locker Expert and General Partner of Locker One Ventures. “With this investment and partnership, we are excited to be at the forefront of creating a new standard for contactless customer service.”

For the partnership with Cooler Keg, Ottonomy created Ottobot Brew to integrate the ultra-portable cooler and CO₂-driven draft system for automatic dispensing of beverages, enabling users to order, select, pay, and receive drinks at their location. The partnership is aimed at dispensing any cold, aerated drinks including beer, cocktails, and even cold coffee for stadiums, casinos, hotels, and public events.

“Our autonomous robot technology is changing the way brands can meet growing customer demands,” said Vijay. “All of our strategic partnerships will focus on ways that autonomous delivery robots can sustainably enhance customer service through accessibility, mobility, and scalability.”

Ottonomy is backed by Pi Ventures, Connetic Ventures, Branded Hospitality Ventures, ADR Ventures, and Locker One Ventures in addition to angel investors around the world.

The Ottobot uses a contextual navigation engine and high-information maps to navigate autonomously in crowded and unpredictable environments. The robot offers indoor and outdoor navigation and day and night operations using a fusion of 3D lidars and multiple cameras. Its zero-radius turns and crab mode are enabled by four-wheel drive and steering.

The cabins are customizable with multiple compartments for use cases such as grocery deliveries, hot and cold food and beverages, and e-commerce packages. Package retrieval can be done by adults, kids, the elderly, and those with special abilities or in wheelchairs.