Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has opened an autonomous robotic smoothie kiosk from Blendid, a robotic food service solutions company.
Antoinette Biffar, FGCU, says: “There is no denying the current robotics evolution in the food service industry, and we are thrilled to work with Blendid to give FGCU students access to these innovative, proven food service solutions.
“Today’s college students crave more meal service offerings, especially when it comes to fresh, nutritious options they can order easily from their phone and grab on-the-go. We are looking forward to seeing how our campus community embraces the new kiosk.”
The new 8 by 8-foot kiosk will allow Florida Gulf Coast University students, faculty, staff and campus visitors to enjoy freshly made smoothie options powered by Blendid’s contactless food automation platform, foodOS®, a patented machine learning, robotics, and artificial intelligence-enabled system.
Located in the FGCU Cohen Student Union food court and accessible when the Cohen Student Union is open, the kiosk accepts campus tender, meal membership declining balance (Flex), and credit cards.
Vipin Jain, CEO and co-founder of Blendid, says: “We are working with campuses like Florida Gulf Coast University to give consumers around the country around-the-clock access to fresh, nutritious, and incredibly delicious food options on-the-go.
“Our first location in Florida is an important first step, and we look to expand our reach to more campuses across the country as our robotic kiosks become a college food service offering staple.”
After customizing their order by adjusting ingredient quantities or adding boosts at the kiosk or directly through the Blendid App, customers can either schedule a convenient pick-up time or watch the robot make their orders.
The kiosk can make a smoothie in under three minutes, nine smoothies simultaneously, up to 45 custom blends in a single hour, and can be accessible 24-hours a day, seven days a week when location traffic demands.
Blendid kiosks are becoming a valued addition to campus meal offerings with a steadily growing presence at college campuses. The new location at Florida Gulf Coast University is the first in Florida.
Blendid also operates kiosks in California and Georgia in universities, travel stops, retail stores, and a hospital.
