OPINION: Imagine yourself as a KiwiBot. You have four wheels with no traction and a plate of food in your cargo. You rely on your camera to avoid being hit by a truck as you traverse the icy campus. Students who pass you may ignore you, but some will kick you and call you names. Struggling up hills and down slopes, you brave the frigid temperatures and student threats in a single goal: to deliver food to some hungry student waiting safely in their dorm.
KiwiBots, first introduced in the fall of 2023, have become a prominent visual staple at the University of Maine. Featuring decorated exteriors and positive electronic faces, these delivery bots can be seen in every corner of campus, rolling their way from residence hall to residence hall.
However, despite their contributions to UMaine, KiwiBots are not received well by many students on campus.
“They’re kinda dumb. They take a long time. They keep getting stuck and the cameras don’t work very well, especially at night.” Fernando Gallinas, a first-year biomedical engineering student, said.
Many students tend to shun our robotic allies, even going so far as to refer to them as “clankers,” and in some extreme cases, purposely vandalizing and disabling them. I witnessed this discrimination first-hand during Halloweekend. Walking down Long Road toward a party, I saw that a group of students had shoved one of the bots onto its side, leaving it stranded and immobile. Its only means of alerting rescue came from its flashing lights and LED screen, which lit up to say “HELP ME!” While our group rushed over to rescue the disabled bot, I thought about the kind of monster it would take to target such a harmless part of campus.
It’s important to understand why KiwiBots experience this kind of discrimination. To some extent, we are in the midst of a technological revolution. While we may not have flying cars, KiwiBots are a part of that revolution. It would have been impossible for eight-year-old me to imagine going to college and co-existing with real-world food delivery robots, yet here we are.
For too long, we have shunned KiwiBots for being different, despite their contributions to our campus. How can we as conscious humans accept their service and simultaneously berate them for being who they are? Furthermore, what can we do to combat KiwiBot discrimination? The solution is simple: if you see that a bot is stuck or disabled, take the time to assist it in continuing on their route. Not only will this help the bot, it will also benefit the student who’s utilizing the bot for food service. Together, we can work to rebuild our relationship with KiwiBots and pave the way for a brighter, technologically harmonious future.
