5 tech things: BYU food delivery robots to be controlled from Africa

In this special edition of its 5 Things series, Food Management highlights five recent technology-related developments affecting the foodservice world.

Here’s your list for today:

1.    BYU food delivery robots to be controlled from Africa

A unique food delivery robot debuting on the Brigham Young University (BYU) campus is a collaboration between BYU Professor Benjamin Terry and robotics startup CAYTU Robotics, based in Dakar, Senegal, in Africa. The robots will be used to deliver food from various BYU campus dining locations directly to students and staff while being controlled by operators in Africa.

Read more: African-engineered food delivery robots debut at Brigham university

2.    Independent baseball league ballpark intros in-seat ordering

In-seat ordering/payment/delivery firm Ordr has announced a partnership with the Gateway Grizzlies, a member of the West Division of the independent Frontier League baseball league. The collaboration continues the acceleration and adoption of Ordr across North American venues — and makes it easy for Grizzlies fans to grab their smartphone, place an order and wait for it to arrive, all from the convenience of their seat.

Read more: Ordr Launches Mobile Ordering and In-Seat Delivery to Gateway Grizzlies Fans

Related:5 things: Army is looking for a few good restaurants

3.    Compass Canada upgrades food waste software in time for Stop Food Waste Day

Compass Group Canada announced the launch of their proprietary Waste Not 2.0 food waste software just in time for the company’s 7th annual Stop Food Waste Day. The software, created by Compass chefs, uses solutions such as waste tracking technology coupled with data analytics to monitor food waste and identify areas for improvement. The program also includes employee training and engagement to raise awareness about the impact of food waste and encourage best practices.     

Read more: Compass Group Canada Celebrates Stop Food Waste Day, Announces Proprietary Technology, Waste Not 2.0 aimed at Reducing Food Waste in Their Operations

4.    Penn State debuts mobile order app

Penn State has unveiled its latest enhancement to improve the dining experience for students at its University Park and the Commonwealth Campuses with the release of Penn State Eats Mobile in the Penn State Go app, which allows students to order food directly from their mobile devices at those campuses. Penn State Eats Mobile streamlines the ordering process with a responsive native mobile app experience, which includes accessing order history for quick reordering and improved access to payment methods to select the most convenient one for the order.

Related:5 things: New Oklahoma law makes it easier for schools to donate leftover food

Read more: Penn State Eats Mobile ordering is now available in the Penn State Go app

5.    Finnish firm introduces smart vending freezer

Finland-based automated retail firm Selfly Store has introduced the Selfly Freezer for the unattended retail market that lets customers select multiple frozen products at one time, touch and feel each one before making their purchase and then make contactless payments. The freezer is part of the brand’s Selfly Store Model 3 product family, which offers a self-service solution through hardware, cloud-based software, RFID (radio frequency identification) tags and a service network. “Designing, developing and manufacturing a vending freezer which is truly intelligent is a complex and challenging task," said Selfly Store CEO Aslak de Silva. "We are proud to have developed a product that will make a significant impact on the unattended retail industry.”

Read more: Selfly Store introduces smart vending freezer

Bonus: Corewell Health explores automation’s potential to boost dining service efficiencies

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]