Students at Oregon State University (OSU) were told on Tuesday to steer clear of all Starship food delivery robots on campus due to a bomb threat.
The warning came from the university’s emergency alert system on the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter.
The alert was straightforward: “Do not open robots. Avoid all robots until further notice. Public Safety is responding.”
The scare was later revealed to be a prank, orchestrated by a student.
Starship Technologies, the company behind these robots, said the student had sent the bomb threat via social media.
The university’s Department of Public Safety acted quickly to move the robots to a safe location and launched an investigation.
Over an hour later, OSU gave the all-clear, saying the “emergency was over” and students could go back to their regular activities. Starship Technologies confirmed, “While the student has subsequently stated this is a joke and a prank, Starship suspended the service.”
The Associated Press reported, citing university officials, that a person believed to be behind this false alarm has been arrested.
The identity of this individual has not yet been released.
Starship Technologies also provided an update saying their robots would be back in service after local authorities gave the green light.
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This episode is noteworthy because these robots are a big part of campus life at OSU, delivering food to students and staff.
Contracted since 2020, around 75 robots equipped with sensors and cameras are in service on campus. And this isn’t just an OSU phenomenon; Starship Technologies said their fleet of more than 2,000 robots are now on nearly 50 U.S. college campuses and serve over 1.1 million students.
Not only are these robots convenient, but they’re also eco-friendly, making zero emissions.
According to the company, they make “more than 150,000 road crossings every day” and have completed more than 5 million deliveries globally.
While the incident ended without anyone being hurt, it does bring up serious concerns about the role of technology in our lives and the importance of safety.
Even though this turned out to be a prank, it shows how easily technology can be turned into a source of fear and danger.
As companies like Starship Technologies expand—most recently to the University of Akron in Ohio—it becomes crucial to consider these safety issues.
With robots now having covered more than 6 million miles around the world, “more than any other autonomous delivery provider,” the recent scare at OSU is a wake-up call about the need for careful handling of technology in our daily lives.”
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