Australian-made robot for temperature-controlled food delivery

Whether it's hot pizza or a chilled dessert, Monash students are developing a robot with separate compartments that can keep food hot or cold for next-gen delivery.

The team of student engineers from the Monash Connected Autonomous Vehicle team unveiled ‘Ari’ at Monash University’s Clayton campus. Resembling a high-tech esky, their electric, self-driven robot stands a metre wide and tall, and the students are hopeful it could soon be delivering on-demand food, backed by a network of advanced sensors for wide coverage.

With four lockable roller doors and a larger load capacity than traditional models, the Monash students have designed the robot to deliver in busy areas like shopping centres, campuses, festivals and even medical or industrial sites.

Ari navigates urban landscapes at 6 km/h, using footpaths and other pedestrian-friendly routes to reach customers safely and efficiently. Future versions will install heating and cooling technology, autonomous charging, on-demand delivery and interchangeable compartments allowing for the transport of everything from tools or hardware, to pharmaceuticals and food.

Final-year Bachelor of Engineering student, John Bui, hopes the innovation could make delivery robots a staple in Australia.

“We wanted to create something affordable and practical that anyone could use, whether it’s a student on campus, a retailer in a busy shopping centre or a restaurateur,” Bui said.

“Imagine wanting a coffee but not wanting to walk across campus or across large events. With this robot, you could order on your phone and it’ll bring it to you. This robot we’ve invented from scratch has brought us a step closer to the future of on-demand food delivery in Australia.

“It’s incredibly low cost and scalable design makes it a realistic solution in the use of highly advanced technology that could transform how restaurants, grocery stores and local businesses deliver food and other items.”

The student project team includes: Jason Angus, Shray Bagga, Dylan Gonzalez, Linal Wekadapola and John Bui.

Image caption: A student engineer inspects a prototype robot designed to keep food hot or cold during delivery