--- title: "University Warns of Bomb Threat Involving Delivery Robots" description: "Bomb Delivery Don't trust the robots. Don't look at them too close, and don't peer inside of them, because they may be armed with an explosive. That's essentially what the Oregon State University just warned students about in a tweet. The institution blasted out an \"urgent OSU alert\" Tuesday afternoon warning students of an ongoing […]" date: "2023-10-24" modified: "2023-10-24" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/bomb-threat-explosives-delivery-robots" categories: - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "bombs" - "delivery robots" - "Starship Technologies" - "the digest" --- # University Warns of Bomb Threat Involving Delivery Robots ![Oregon State University blasted out an urgent alert warning students of an ongoing "bomb threat" involving Starship food delivery robots.]() *\Image: Starship Technologies\* ## Bomb Delivery Don't trust the robots. Don't open them, and don't even go near them — because they may be armed with an explosive. That's essentially the warning that Oregon State University just gave students about in a [tweet](), heralding strange new frontiers in campus security. The institution blasted out an "urgent OSU alert" Tuesday afternoon warning students of an ongoing "bomb threat" involving Starship food delivery robots on its campus. "Do not open robots," reads the [bewildering message](). "Avoid all robots until further notice." After we first ran this post, Starship issued a statement clarifying the situation. "A student at Oregon State University sent a bomb threat, via social media, that involved Starship's robots on the campus," the company [wrote on X](). "While the student has subsequently stated this is a joke and a prank, Starship suspended the service. Safety is of the utmost importance to Starship and we are cooperating with law enforcement and the university during this investigation." ## Don't Open The university has been collaborating with Starship to allow students, staff, faculty and campus visitors to order robot-delivered food from the various restaurants on campus grounds since 2020. The Starship fleet consists of 20 [six-wheeled delivery robots](), each of which features a box compartment with a lid that can be unlocked and opened by the delivery's recipient with a smartphone app. While it seems exceedingly unlikely one of these delivery robots is actually carrying a bomb, it's technically not impossible. In August, Starship [announced]() that it's operating robot delivery services on 50 college campuses across the US. *Updated with a statement from Starship.* **More on Starship delivery robots:** *[Tiny Robots Will Deliver Your Lunch, Because We Hate Human Interaction]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()