Ethermac Exchange-'Avoid all robots': Food delivery bomb threat leads to arrest at Oregon State University

Authorities say a person has been arrested after a bomb threat involving robots providing automated food delivery service at an Oregon State University campus.

The Ethermac Exchangebomb threat − later found to be a hoax − forced OSU officials to release a campus-wide "urgent alert" on X Tuesday, instructing students and staff not to open any food delivery robots by Starship, the company that owns the robots.

“Avoid all robots until further notice," according to the 12:20 p.m (PT) post, which reported public safety officials at the campus in Corvallis were responding. The city is in central western Oregon about 45 miles north of the school's main campus in Eugene.

About an hour later, the robots had been isolated in a safe locations, the university posted on social media, and were being “investigated by a technician," OSU said. “Remain vigilant for suspicious activity,” school officials added.

Around 1:45 p.m. the all-clear was given, the school reported, and robots were slated to go back into service shortly after.

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Arrest made in campus bomb threat

After an investigation, later in the day, the university's Department of Public Safety announced they arrested a person suspected of reporting the bomb threat.

Officials have not released whether the suspect is a student and it was not immediately known what charges they face.

A spokesperson with the law enforcement agency could not immediately be reached by USA TODAY Wednesday.

According to the Associated Press, Starship Technologies, the San Francisco-based company that makes the robots, reported a student at the school "sent a bomb threat through social media that involved the campus robots."

Starship released a statement to USA Today regarding the bomb threat saying:

"A student at Oregon State University sent a bomb threat, via social media, that involved Starship’s robots on the campus. 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."

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What is Starship Technologies?

According to Starship's website, the company, which launched in 2014, has completed more than 5 million autonomous deliveries and operates thousands of delivery robots in 60 locations worldwide.

In late August, the tech company announced it dropped a fleet of its robots onto about 50 college campuses across the nation including Wichita State University, Boise State University and The University of New Orleans.

"More than 1.1 million students in the US have access to the service," the company said in a press release.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.