Khush

Inspiration

After long flights, guests are hungry, tired, and frustrated by slow room service. Hotels face the opposite problem: overworked staff and rising costs. We wanted to build something that solved both sides — delivering food fast while reducing hotel labour strain.

What it does

Khush is a hotel-specific food delivery robot that brings meals to your door in under 5 minutes. It securely carries orders, integrates with hotel POS systems, and works with a simple guest app. Guests get instant service, hotels save money, and staff stress is reduced.

How we built it

We prototyped Khush using a Raspberry Pi 4 for control logic, basic motors and sensors for movement, and a camera for navigation and verification. A lightweight Flask backend powers the ordering and delivery logic, while a mock React Native app demonstrates how guests would order food. Future versions will use LiDAR and advanced sensors for full hotel navigation.

Challenges we ran into

• Building navigation logic that could handle hotel corridors and elevators.
• Balancing ambitious hardware goals with a 72-hour hackathon timeline.
• Designing a secure delivery compartment that integrates with the robot’s software.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

• Delivered a working prototype that demonstrates food delivery.
• Built a clear ROI model showing hotels can save A\$38k–\$100k/year per robot.
• Defined a scalable vision that expands beyond hotels into hospitals and dorms.

What we learned

• Robotics in hospitality must prioritize workflow integration — staff load, robot delivers.
• Short timelines force ruthless focus: building a demoable prototype matters more than perfection.
• Market validation is critical: hotels are actively seeking solutions for staff shortages.

What's next for Khush

• Upgrade navigation with LiDAR, elevator integration, and advanced sensors.
• Pilot with mid-sized hotels (50–300 rooms) to validate in real-world environments.
• Expand into hospitals, aged care, and student housing, where delivery efficiency is equally critical.

Built With

• camera/opencv-for-navigation-&-verification-other-tools:-figma-(ui/ux-design)
• firebase-(optional-app-backend)-databases:-sqlite-(lightweight-demo-db)-apis:-pos-system-mock-integration
• github-cloud-services:-google-cloud-apis-(for-maps-+-integration)
• javascript-frameworks:-flask-(backend-api)
• python
• react-native-(guest-app-mockup)-platforms:-raspberry-pi-4-(robot-control)