On Tuesday, the University of Oregon (OSU) faced a threat of a bomb explosion. Students were warned about the potential presence of explosive devices in one of the Starship robots deployed on campus.
At 11:51 Pacific time, the OSU Public Safety Department received a message indicating that “a homemade explosive device will be placed in the Starship Technologies delivery robot on the OSU Corvallis campus,” said OSU Director Shan Nilon.
Moments later, an urgent notification was sent out by the university’s students and faculty through social media platforms: “Bomb threat in Starship delivery robots. Do not open robots. Stay away from any robots until further instructions.”
An hour later, it was announced that technicians had arrived at the scene for investigation. The campus community was urged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious incidents. “DPS began isolating the robots at a safe distance to conduct bomb-sniffing dog checks,” Nilon stated.
In October 2020, the University Housing and Educational Service of OSU implemented an autonomous delivery service. Currently, there are approximately 75 robots operating on the OSU Corvallis campus.
By 13:52, all robots had been inspected, but no explosive devices were found. Students and faculty were allowed to resume their normal activities.
Meanwhile, it was discovered that the threat was a prank orchestrated by an OSU student, as confirmed by Starship Technologies. While Nilon acknowledged that the DPS had apprehended a suspect, it was not disclosed whether the individual was a student at the university.
Upon receiving the threat, Starship Technologies halted their services, resulting in the immediate cancellation of all food and drink orders.
“A University of Oregon student posted a bomb threat on social media relating to Starship robots on campus,” stated the San Francisco-based technology company.
Although an individual claimed the incident would be covered on a local morning talk show, no such coverage has been confirmed.
According to the university, all robots are expected to resume their operations by the end of the day, and students have been refunded for their orders.
Starship Technologies, founded in 2014 by two former Skype employees, specializes in autonomous delivery. Aside from OSU, the company’s robots are deployed in over two dozen university campuses across the United States, including Purdue University, Notre Dame, and UCLA. They are also utilized in various regions and retail locations in the UK.