I sat outside Walter Library, basking in the hot October sun, but the unseasonably warm weather wasn’t the only thing that felt dystopian.

After all, a robot was on the way.

I’d just ordered a toasted blueberry bagel from Einstein’s Bagels in Coffman Union. According to the app in front of me, it would arrive in the next 10-15 minutes.

I watched in awe as the icon of a small robot made its way across the University of Minnesota campus on the digital map, crossing the pedestrian bridge above Washington Avenue. I glanced over my shoulder and suddenly there it was, maneuvering through pedestrian traffic on Northrop Mall as its orange safety flag glistened in the sunlight.

Chartwells (which manages M Food Co.) partnered with Starship Technologies this past month to release a fleet of robots to fulfill food delivery requests on campus through the Starship app.

Chris Elrod, senior director of marketing and communication for M Food Co., said his team started the initiative to increase access to food for students and faculty in the campus area.

“We identified a few key areas that couldn’t fully support opening a new restaurant or opening a new coffee shop because they were just right outside that range of Coffman or Carlson,” Elrod said. “That’s when we proposed the Starship Technology robot delivery as a way to meet the needs of those campus neighborhoods.”

It’s hard to imagine how a robot delivery service satisfies the needs of our student body, especially considering the prevalence of existing food delivery apps like DoorDash or UberEats, which use people (who can move much quicker) to make food deliveries over a larger geographic range.

While these new robots are somewhat pointless, they’re an entertaining addition to our campus community.

As eagerly anticipated my robot, I pressed a button on the app and walked up to my new mechanical friend parked outside Walter Library.

The robot said “Thank you!” in a cheery voice when I grabbed my still-warm bagel and closed the lid. It was my first time interacting with a four-wheeled talking machine, but I managed to say “You’re welcome!” and pat it goodbye before it sped off toward Coffman Union.

These robots have caused quite the commotion around campus. I’ve watched students crowd around them when they stop for a delivery, shouting and pointing phone cameras like they’ve just spotted Beyoncé.

Megan Nguyen, a second-year student at the University, said the attention from ordering a robot feels humiliating.

“It’s like driving a Tesla Cybertruck unironically,” Nguyen said.

It’s true. I felt like both the center of attention and noticeably uncool as students on the Mall watched me grab my blueberry bagel from the robot, which started repeating, “Please close the lid” when I left it open too long.

“I like walking,” Nguyen said. “So I don’t feel like I need it to deliver anything to me.”

Given I could see Coffman Union from where I was sitting, I felt the same way. Add the $2.71 delivery fee, and the whole journalistic escapade seemed a little ridiculous.

Still, watching these little machines trying to navigate crowds of students as they make deliveries always makes me chuckle. They’re like the campus turkeys of the future, stopping traffic and turning heads everywhere they go.

Max Enderlein, a fourth-year student, said he doesn’t want to order a robot because he’s worried about people messing with it and delaying his order.

“There was one day on campus when there were a lot of kids and they kind of surrounded it,” Enderlein said. “I feel bad for whoever ordered the meal, but they kind of feel like little toys.”

After almost hitting a robot on my bike, I’ve started to view them as yet another campus hazard. But after a long day of class, a little chaos feels refreshing, especially when it comes from something as goofy as a talking robot instead of an unaware student on a Lime scooter.

I struggled to navigate campus during my first few weeks at the University, so it’s hard to blame the robots for running into trouble. Elrod said they will become better at making deliveries over time thanks to machine learning technology.

“As a robot delivers to an area on campus and it runs into an area that’s more congested with traffic, or there are cracks in the sidewalk, it shares that learning with the other robots,” Elrod said. “So they also know if they take that path, to be prepared for those obstacles.”

Like it or not, the robots are here to stay. According to Elrod, M Food Co. is expanding the fleet to service West Bank as well as planning to offer late-night delivery from convenience stores in residence halls.

Even if they’re just something to joke about, the robots have already made the University a more interesting place. They’re helping create a sense of shared culture and experience, bringing students together under feelings of hatred, curiosity and laughter.

So welcome to the University of Minnesota, robots — and good luck in the snow.