WOLF-E the robot serves cookies to Seawolves at Creekside Eatery

Something unexpected has rolled its way into Creekside Eatery in the Gorsuch Commons – a dessert serving robot by the name of WOLF-E. The robot is the newest member of the dining team, patrolling the dining room in search of those without cookies.

WOLF-E plays jazz music while making its rounds. Seawolf Dining Program Director Trenten Hall said that WOLF-E’s “pronouns are they/them, as to be more non-binary.” 

I quickly grew fond of the robot throughout my interactions with it. WOLF-E has a high work ethic and unique attributes that will soon make it everyone’s favorite robot.

“It’s been active for probably three months,” said Hall.

Hall and Seawolf Dining and Catering General Manager Chris Tarsitano were excited to talk about UAA’s newest robotic addition.

WOLF-E was not developed by UAA, but Hall and Tarsitano gave it the Seawolf-inspired name.

WOLF-E is originally owned by NANA Management Services, a company Tarsitano works for. 

“We currently use similar Bear Robotics at APU, at the Pioneer Homes” where the device services food and beverage needs.

“NMS has provided food services for residential and retail dining on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus since the fall semester of 2007,” according to the NMS Website.

Surprisingly, WOLF-E came at no cost to the university as it was a gift from Pioneer Homes.

Pioneer Homes “ended up having an extra one and they were gracious and asked if we would like it over here” said Hall.

Despite the great deal, there is a cost for maintenance. "We'll have to put up a small amount of maintenance cost, in case something goes wrong," said Hall.

The generosity of the Pioneer Home has provided students “a conversation piece. It enhances the dining program and highlights innovation” said Hall.

Energy consumption is another cost that is always a factor to consider, especially for modern robots. Tarsitano explains that the energy consumption for WOLF-E is “very very minimal. Probably less than charging a cell-phone, from my understanding and what I was told.”

“We were a little bit concerned about that, but technology today has very minimal energy use.”

It may be difficult to place the true purpose of a cookie-serving robot at a dining hall, but Tarsitano had bigger ideas than dessert staff.

“It shows that innovation is part of the future, it’s part of not only dining programs but a little bit of everything nowadays. If we can impart a little bit of that and the students have these conversations — thinking outside the box — it’s only a plus for us,” said Tarsitano.

Tarsitano said, “WOLF-E actually goes throughout the whole dining room, periodically around tables and greets the students and guests and we normally have desserts with WOLF-E.” 

“Bear Robotics came out and they programmed a full floor plan. And helped us – Trenton and myself – [achieve] our vision of how WOLF-E could be a great addition to the dining program.” 

Bear Robotics is a California based robotic engineering company that is partly dedicated to restaurant automation. 

While there was not a purchase made for the ownership of WOLF-E, “There is a monthly fee, but it’s nominal” said Tarsitano. 

According to Reuters, “Bear Robotics charges a $999 monthly fee for Servi in the U.S. – which gives the robot a running cost of around $2.75 per hour.” 

In a follow up email, Hall wrote that the subscription cost they pay is $499 to Bear Robotics.

If you are walking through the dining area and run into WOLF-E, you may hear it say a few different phrases.

WOLF-E is able to detect people and can even say “Excuse me” if its mapped path is blocked.

Hall explained that pathfinding for WOLF-E is simple:

“There are stairs but it knows where they’re at. It does go down the ramp to the lower dining room and it’s programmed where to go, so there’s no way it would go past where it’s programmed to leave. It has a passcode lock on the screen too, so students can’t mess with it.” 

But how would a cookie serving robot know when to serve? 

“It knows when it's empty because of a weighted plate, and when it’s empty, it will stop at the fridge and wait to be refilled. It can tell when it’s refilled, and it goes back out,” said Hall.

 WOLF-E is surely an interesting addition to UAA and will definitely be a conversation piece as it delivers cookies to hungry students this coming semester.