Starship Robots Graduate, Pursue Larger Opportunities
What began as a novelty kind of became normal. Kind of.
For nearly six years, some of the most recognizable residents in town weren’t professors, politicians, or business owners. They were Starship’s small autonomous delivery robots.
Personally, we thought they were kind of cute. They always had plans, minded their own business, and never asked for tips.
They had no face, no name, and no opinion on local politics. They just rolled around carrying food, obeying traffic laws better than most, and somehow managed to become part of the scenery.
Like most college students, they did their thing, they learned, and now they have graduated. After years of roaming the sidewalks, the little guys are preparing to leave Corvallis and head off into the real world. Bigger opportunities. New experiences.
Starship Technologies recently announced it is ending service on U.S. university campuses, including Oregon State University. The robot delivery program will conclude on June 11, bringing an end to a partnership that began in 2020.
According to OSU, Starship informed the university that it is “exiting U.S. university campuses for other markets.” The little guys have finished their education and accepted positions in the private sector. We are proud of them, even if it hurts to see them go.
When they first arrived during the pandemic, they attracted crowds of onlookers. Students stopped to watch them. Visitors took photos. We occasionally found ourselves stepping aside on a sidewalk to let a cooler-sized machine (that actually looked like a cooler) carrying somebody else’s lunch pass by.
What began as a novelty kind of became normal. Kind of.
They were everywhere. Waiting patiently at crosswalks. Forming tiny robot traffic jams with their friends. Getting confused by curbs. Occasionally appearing in places that made you wonder if they had developed independent thoughts and simply chosen not to tell anyone.
They kept their heads down, worked hard… and they studied. They never complained. They never asked for tips. And they learned.
Sure, they weren’t perfect. None of us are. Especially in college. Occasionally people complained about sidewalk congestion. Some got stuck. Some got lost. Rumor has it one even got squished by a train. But didn’t we all get a little lost in college?
That’s how communities work. The things that become familiar aren’t always the things everyone loves. They were still a part of our life, and a part of our town. Earlier this year, several were even wrapped with artwork celebrating Oregon State’s cultural resource centers, turning the fleet into rolling displays of campus pride.
The company says it is shifting its focus toward grocery and food-retail delivery, pursuing larger commercial opportunities beyond the university campus. Just like a student pursuing larger opportunities outside of their college jobs.
As the final deliveries are made this week, we are losing something small, strange, and uniquely its own. No, the robots weren’t alive (we don’t think). They didn’t know us. They weren’t members of the community in any literal sense. But they became part of it anyway.
Whether you loved them, hated them, ignored them, or laughed when they got stuck, they added something to the town. They didn’t operate in Portland, or in Bend, or at the other school in Eugene. They operated here in Corvallis.
That’s usually how you know something mattered, because when it’s gone, the place feels just a little bit different without it.
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Honestly we are super sad to see them leave. They were fun. And always had a purpose.
I'm bummed. I love the robots. I always want to take one home as a pet.