There is a menace on this campus.
A myriad of mechanical malcontents that like to run down the student body and block sidewalks at mildly inconvenient angles. They are known as Kiwibots. Now, no one wants to point immediate fingers and say that these delivery bots are going to start nipping at our heels and running over everyone’s toes on the way to world domination, but they are certainly something to look into. From playing chicken with pedestrians to bursting into flames on the Mall, it is reasonable to say that these little droids demand journalistic insight.
Now, first and foremost, these robots are simply delivery bots. They have little hatches in their bodies that open up, allowing food to be placed inside without being tampered with. Intuitive, simple, easy. They have been operating on behalf of their company, Kiwi Campus Incorporated, and have been delivering food for several years. The robots have access to most areas on campus, including the Memorial Union building, the Wells Pub and Hilltop Dining. However, these are well-known facts: everyone is aware of them. To get some insider information on the topic, we spoke with lead technician Juan Ricci from inside the Kiwibot repair center in the Memorial Union building. There, Ricci and his team of two others, Camilo Guzman and Diego Ardila, control the Kiwibots.
“If a robot is broken, I’ll control it from my computer sometimes just to move it to the other side of the room,” said Ricci. “They can be quite heavy.”
In response to being asked if they use the controls to get the robots unstuck in the winter, Ricci said that the bots “unstuck themselves very well” and do not need controlling.
An odd thing to say, as several students have mentioned seeing Kiwibots getting caught in snowbanks and potholes all over campus in years past. Though it is very likely that Ricci and his team might be unaware of this fact, due to the company they work for cycling out the team every semester.
“The next semester is gonna be new people. A new crew. They change every semester,” said Ricci.
What about the professors? Surely there must be some lively and insightful commentary from them on these little delivery robots. Dr. Matthew Graham from the University of Maine Business School shared some insightful thoughts on the topic, as he is a self-proclaimed “robot enthusiast.” Although he has never personally used the services of these robots, he holds a positive outlook on their future applications beyond just food delivery.
“I’m curious if there’s other applications that it could be useful for as well.” Dr. Graham said, “I think because just because of the shape and size and the type of droid that it is, it’s probably going to be limited to cargo work.”
Well, we certainly know one thing for sure: the ones who are in contact with and impacted the most by these Kiwibots are the student body. After all, they’re the ones who seem to utilize the bots the most, even more than the professors. What do they have to say about them? Well, junior Civil Engineering major, Aidan Heath, had quite a bit to say on the topic. He had used the Kiwibot system to order food on a few occasions and said that the process was “not that bad” and a “pretty time efficient option.”
“From most of my experience, they got the order right; it shows up at your dorm hall within 30 minutes of you actually pressing the button,” Heath said.
Though Heath doesn’t believe these bots are robust to a fault. ”Sometimes they get stuck in potholes, sometimes they don’t know when to cross the street. Self-awareness is lacking.”
When asked about these sorts of ‘events’ occurring in the bot’s programming, Ricci offered this comment: “They gave good sensors on their fronts that detect motion and one on either side of them so they can avoid most things.”
