UH is now the only college in the country — and the only restaurant facility in Houston — to utilize a robotic food delivery. Photo courtesy of the University of Houston

The University of Houston is taking a bold step — or, in this case, roll — in foodservice delivery. UH's Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership is now deploying a robot server in Eric’s Restaurant at its Hilton College.

Booting up this new service is major bragging rights for the Coogs, as UH is now the only college in the country — and the only restaurant facility in Houston — to utilize a robotic food delivery.

These rolling delivery bots come from the state-of-the-art food service robot called Servi. The bots, created by Bear Robotics, are armed with LiDar sensors, cameras, and trays, and automatically return to their posts when internal weight sensors detect a delivery has been completed.

Not surprisingly, these futuristic food staffers are booting up plenty of buzz at UH.

“People are excited about it,” says Dennis Reynolds, who is dean of the Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership and oversees the only hospitality program in the world where students work and take classes in an internationally branded, full-service hotel. Launching robot waitstaff at UH as a test market makes sense, he notes, for practical use and larger implications.

The Servi robots deliver food from the kitchen to the table. Photo courtesy of the University of Houston

“Robotics and the general fear of technology we see today are really untested in the restaurant industry,” he says in an announcement. “At Hilton College, it’s not just about using tomorrow’s technology today. We always want to be the leader in learning how that technology impacts the industry.”

Bear Robotics, a tech company founded by restaurant experts and tech entrepreneurs, hosted a Servi showcase at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago earlier this year. After seeing the demo, Reynolds was hooked. UH's Servi robot arrived at Eric’s Restaurant in October.

Before sending the bot to diners' tables, the bot was prepped by Tanner Lucas, the executive chef and foodservice director at Eric’s. That meant weeks of mapping, programming, and — not surprisingly — “test driving” around the restaurant.

Tanner even created a digital map of the restaurant to teach the Servi its pathways and designated service points, such as table numbers. “Then, we sent it back and forth to all of those points from the kitchen with food to make sure it wouldn’t run into anything," he adds.

But does having a robot deliver food create friction between human and automated staff? Not at Eric's. “The robot helps my workflow,” Joel Tatum, a server at Eric’s says. “It lets me spend more time with my customers instead of just chasing and running food.”

Once loaded, the kitchen staff can tell the Servi robots where to take the dishes. Photo courtesy of the University of Houston

Reynolds believes robots will complement their human counterparts and actually enhance the customer experience, even in unlikely settings.

“Studies have been conducted in senior living facilities where you might think a robot wouldn’t be well received, but it’s been just the opposite,” Reynolds says. “Those residents saw the change in their lives and loved it.”

To that end, he plans to use Servi bots in other UH venues. “The ballroom would be a fantastic place to showcase Servi – not as a labor-saving device, but as an excitement generator,” Reynolds notes. “To have it rotating through a big event delivering appetizers would be really fun.”

Critics who denounce robot servers and suggest they will soon displace humans are missing the point, Reynolds adds. “This isn’t about cutting our labor costs. It’s about building our top-line revenues and expanding our brand as a global hospitality innovator,” Reynolds says. “People will come to expect more robotics, more artificial intelligence in all segments of hospitality, and our students will be right there at the forefront.”

Servi bots come at a time of dynamic growth for Hilton College. A recent rebrand to “Global Hospitality Leadership” comes as the college hotel is undergoing a $30 million expansion and renovation, which includes a new five-story, 70-room guest tower. The student-run Cougar Grounds coffeehouse reopened this semester in a larger space with plenty of updates. The neighboring Eric’s Club Center for Student Success helps with recruitment and enrollment, undergraduate academic services, and career development.

“To be the first university in the country to introduce robotics in the dining room is remarkable,” Reynolds adds. “There are a lot of unique things we’re doing at Hilton College.”

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This article originally ran on CultureMap.

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Houston consulting firm opens innovation hub for business AI in collaboration with SAP

new space

Houston’s Sierra Digital has launched Sierra AppHaus Houston, an innovation hub for business AI in collaboration with the the AppHaus program from software giant SAP.

Sierra Digital is the second U.S. partner to join the SAP AppHaus Network, a group of spaces focused on leveraging SAP products and technology. The operation is connected to Sierra Digital’s offices in the Sharpstown area. It features three meeting rooms and a large conference room, and can host workshops for more than 100 participants.

“Sierra Digital has been recognized as a perfect addition to the SAP AppHaus Network,” Carlos Estala Velasco, co-lead SAP AppHaus Partner Network, said in a news release. “With a committed AppHaus team equipped to apply our award-winning human-centered innovation approach, they are able to inspire and support customers throughout their journey to realize innovation. We eagerly anticipate co-innovating with the local team!”

Sierra Digital, founded in 2002, focuses on modernizing legacy SAP systems. It has developed a library of over 30 pre-built business technology applications (BTA) and is also one of the first SAP partners to develop and implement use cases for business AI. The company is also a leading member of the SAP BTP Advisory Council.

Sierra’s portfolio of pre-built BTP applications helps streamline operations by automating tasks like business partner onboarding and revenue processing with AI-driven insights. The company works in the oil and gas, chemical, manufacturing, retail and public sectors.

The first SAP AppHaus location was established in 2013, and there are now 25 globally. Three of the locations are owned by SAP, and 22 are managed by partners, including Sierra Digital. According to a LinkedIn post, Sierra Digital plans to use the Houston space for design-thinking workshops, tech discussions and even hackathons.

"We are proud to be part of the SAP AppHaus Network and to contribute our design and innovation expertise," Senthil Kumar, CEO and chairman of Sierra Digital, said in a news release. "This collaboration with SAP allows us to co-create impactful solutions that accelerate digital transformation for our clients and strengthen our regional presence."

New AI-focused innovation hub, Rice Nexus, debuts at The Ion Houston

Innovation Station

Rice University unveiled its new AI-focused "innovation factory," Rice Nexus, on Friday, February 14.

The 10,000-square-foot space, occupying two floors at The Ion, aims to support and provide resources for ventures that are looking to scale and have "artificial intelligence (AI) as a central pillar of its innovation strategy," according to a statement from Rice.

The space will be home to a dedicated AI venture accelerator and is already serving as a home base for several startups with ties to Rice. The companies include:

  • Solidec, a climate-tech company co-founded by Rice professor Haotian Wang, research scientist Ryan DuChanois and alumnus Yang Xia
  • Coflux Purification, co-founded by Rice students Alec Ajnsztajn, Jeremy Daum and Dana Vazquez with collaboration from professors Rafael Verduzco and Pulickel Ajayan
  • BeOne Sports, a sports performance technology company founded by Rice alumni
  • Voythos, which uses AI to predict the future health of patients with cardiovascular disease

Sanjoy Paul will lead Rice Nexus as executive director. Paul previously worked at Accenture LLC as a managing director of technology and is a lecturer in Rice's Department of Computer Science.

“We created the Rice Nexus in the Ion for Rice faculty, students and alumni to transform their breakthrough ideas into venture-ready startups,” Paul Cherukuri, Rice’s chief innovation officer and vice president for innovation, said in the release.

“With Sanjoy Paul at the helm, we are not only integrating AI into the core of our innovation efforts but also ensuring that Rice founders have the leadership, expertise and support they need to rapidly build and scale transformative companies.”

The space is part of Rice's latest 10-year strategic plan known as Momentous, which was announced in October. Rice University President Reginald DesRoches spoke with the Houston Innovators Podcast on the university's growth last fall. Click here to listen, and explore photos of the new space below.

Photo courtesy Rice University

Texas county will hold election to make Elon Musk's Starbase its own city

Tesla Town

A Texas county recently approved holding an election sought by SpaceX that would let residents living around billionaire Elon Musk's company decide whether to formally create a new city called Starbase.

The election was set for May 3 and votes can only be cast by residents living near the launch site that is currently part of an unincorporated area of Cameron County, located along the U.S.-Mexico border.

In December, more than 70 area residents signed a petition requesting an election to make Starbase its own municipality. Most of the residents are company employees and the community includes more than 100 children, according to copies of the petition obtained by The Associated Press.

Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño said the county reviewed the petition and found it met the state's requirements for the incorporation process to move forward.

“If the election passes, this will be the newest town in Cameron County since Los Indios in 1995,” Treviño said in a statement. “We look forward to seeing the outcome of this election.”

SpaceX responded to a request for comment by referring to the company's earlier statement in December.

Kathryn Lueders, Starbase's general manager, previously said that the incorporation would streamline certain processes to build amenities in the area. Some local environmental advocates have expressed worry about what the effects would mean for development.

SpaceX's launch site broke ground in Texas in 2014. Only 10 of the roughly 250 lots of land within the proposed new city limits do not belong to the company.

More than 3,400 full-time SpaceX employees and contractors work at the Starbase site, according to a local impact study issued by the county last year.

Musk has long been planting business roots in Texas and has spread them far and wide across the Lone Star State. The billionaire moved to Texas in 2020 and relocated to or expanded a number of his companies in the state, citing the state’s business-friendly climate.

Tesla’s massive 10-million-square-foot Gigafactory, where the company makes its Cybertrucks, opened near Austin in 2022 and will also serve as the company headquarters.