Delivery Robots on Sidewalks Spark Pedestrian Frustration

The issue of delivery robot disruption began on March 10 last year, when Uber Eats demonstrated its self-driving delivery robot, 'Avride,' and officially launched it in Philadelphia. The robots started sharing city streets and sidewalks with pedestrians, but residents soon complained that the machines were hindering foot traffic.

This inconvenience escalated into concrete incidents. In late March, delivery robots operating in Philadelphia's Center City were repeatedly kicked, with some seen falling over and then being righted. These events followed attempts by some individuals to interact with the robots.

Avride, the robot's manufacturer, attributed these incidents to "common behavior driven by high curiosity and a desire to test the robots' responses when they are introduced to a new area." The company described this as "an expected phase in the process of becoming accustomed to the technology." Avride added that "a few vandalism cases in Philadelphia will not impact our plans for service expansion." The robots are engineered to halt when a person approaches or interferes, and then resume their route once the interaction concludes.

Lindsay Ouellette, a doctoral candidate researcher at Temple University, analyzed the situation, stating that the complaints about robots are not new targets but are similar to the annoyance people have historically felt towards slow-moving pedestrians or those distracted by their phones who obstruct others' paths. She views these emotions as manifesting in citizens' reactions to the new technology of delivery robots.

Avride robots are undergoing pilot testing in several U.S. cities. Customers must unlock the cargo compartment via the Uber Eats app. The system is designed to immediately notify the manufacturer if any attempts to tamper with or steal the robots are detected, enabling remote monitoring and security measures. The company stated that these safety features are used to manage unauthorized access or theft attempts.