“Chicago’s sidewalks are for people, not delivery robots,” says a petition aimed at ridding the city’s streets of wheel-based devices.
Two robotics companies – Coco and Serve – operate the tiny robots on Chicago’s sidewalks, transporting meals to customers.
The online petition, launched in November, currently has more than 1,200 signatures from people across the city calling for the robots to be banned.
Josh Robertson, the man behind the petition, told CBS News that when the robots first arrived, he actually felt some excitement when he saw them rolling down the sidewalk because it looked like a glimpse into the future.
But when he actually encountered one during a walk, he instinctively moved out of the way, even though the sidewalk was designed primarily for pedestrians… not wheeled robots.
Concerned about their impact on safety and jobs, Robertson launched a campaign calling for more information about the robots to be released.
He said some people in wheelchairs or on crutches found the machines annoying, while one guy, Anthony Jonas, ended up in the hospital after colliding with a machine.
“I tripped over it and hit my eyelid on the visibility flag attached to the robot,” Jonas told CBS News. “Blood and emergency care, stitches – the whole thing.”
Online forums also discussed the delivery robot situation in Chicago, with one commenter asking, “Will I get in trouble if I knock them over?” while another simply says, “I hate them. I tell them I hate them.”
Because the robots have multiple cameras for navigation, privacy advocates also have concerns about surveillance and data collection in public areas.
One of the delivery robot companies, Coco, said it would like to meet with Robertson to discuss his concerns and those of other residents, although it might be difficult to convince him to change his position.
Compact delivery robots like Coco’s have actually been around for years and are used by numerous companies in an increasingly competitive sector.
But in some cities, such as San Francisco, authorities have pushed back by limiting the number of robots and confining them to places with little foot traffic.
Whether Robertson’s petition can convince Chicago officials to take the same approach remains to be seen.
