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How many times do good people of the city of Philadelphia have to warn companies that they do not want robots roaming their streets? Apparently, at least three.
For the uninitiated, Philadelphians have a lengthy, storied past with robots strolling through their city, starting back in 2022 when a man in the city wearing a Philadelphia Eagles jersey put an end to “hitchBOT,” a robot that was hitchhiking across the United States.
Fast forward a few years, and Philadelphians made it abundantly clear to Waymo that they wanted no part of the self-driving ride-share vehicles in their city.
At this point, the message was impossible to miss. If you bring robots into the city of Philadelphia, it will likely end poorly. But Uber Eats was not deterred.
Perhaps it should have been.
Philadelphians Topple Uber Eats Robot In Show Of Defiance
Uber Eats officially launched its robot delivery system in the city of Philadelphia in mid-March. Since then, there have been multiple attacks on the devices, according to local television station 6 ABC.
The site reports that an Uber Eats robot was seen getting kicked multiple times outside the entrance of a parking garage over the weekend. However, the people who did the kicking (technically, you could call them assailants?), did eventually set the robot back up on its wheels.
A similar incident occurred late last month when a couple was seen kicking at and sitting on one of the delivery robots.
Avride, the company that manufactures the robots for Uber Eats, says it’s not surprised.
“When delivery robots are introduced in a new area, it’s quite common to see heightened curiosity from people around them. Some may try to “test” how the robot reacts – for example, by stepping in front of it or attempting to interact with it directly. This is a known and expected phase as people get used to the technology,” it said in a statement.
Ultimately, the majority of delivery robots seem to go through the city unharmed. But let this be a further warning to companies: if you introduce a robot of any sort to Philadelphia, there’s going to be some violence against it.