You expect traffic jams on Chicago streets.
asserted
You → expect → streets
You probably do not expect one on the sidewalk caused by a bunch of food delivery robots.
asserted
You → expect → robots
That is exactly what runner Becca Ostien encountered near Lincoln Park.
asserted
Ostien → encounter → Park
At least a dozen Coco delivery robots had gathered along North Clark Street, leaving her to navigate what looked like a miniature robot traffic jam.
asserted
what → gather → jam
The strange scene quickly spread online.
asserted
scene → spread → ?
Yet behind the viral video sits a bigger question about the growing number of delivery robots rolling through American cities.
asserted
question → sit → cities
What happens when the technology designed to make deliveries easier starts getting in your way?
asserted
deliveries → happen → way
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asserted
you → get → doctor
No technical experience is needed.
asserted
experience → need → ?
Chicago delivery robots suddenly swarm a sidewalk
asserted
robots → swarm → sidewalk
Ostien regularly travels through the area near Lincoln Park.
asserted
Ostien → travel → Park
During a recent morning outing, she came across a group of Coco robots clustered together on the sidewalk.
asserted
she → come → sidewalk
Some appeared to be trying to maneuver out of the group.
asserted
Some → appear → group
Others remained stationary.
asserted
Others → remain → ?
Ostien described the robots as "swarming" and said someone without agile feet would have had trouble getting through.
asserted
someone → describe → trouble
Video of the encounter shows roughly a dozen robots packed into a narrow stretch of sidewalk.
asserted
robots → show → sidewalk
Their lights flashed as they moved around one another with nowhere obvious to go.
asserted
they → flash → one
That may look funny for a few seconds on social media.
uncertain
That → look → media
For someone who depends on a clear pedestrian route, the situation can become far more serious.
asserted
situation → depend → route
One commenter described the scene as "an actual nightmare" for a disabled person.
asserted
commenter → describe → person
Other reactions raised concerns about people using wheelchairs or walkers trying to get through.
asserted
reactions → raise → wheelchairs
Coco says a routing error caused the robot pileup
Coco Robotics acknowledged the problem and apologized.
asserted
Robotics → say → problem
In a statement to CyberGuy, Coco said a "sidewalk deployment error" caused several robots to reroute at the same time as they left their station to begin their daily routes.
asserted
they → say → routes
"That's not how our robots are designed to operate, and we understand the disruption it caused," Coco told CyberGuy.
asserted
Coco → design → CyberGuy
The company said its team identified and corrected the problem quickly, clearing the robots and returning them to normal operation within minutes.
asserted
team → say → minutes
"We've since solved the routing behavior that led to this and added safeguards to prevent it from recurring," the company said.
asserted
company → solve → it
Coco called the situation rare and said it has completed tens of thousands of trips during its two years operating in Chicago.
asserted
it → call → Chicago
The company also estimates those deliveries have saved consumers roughly $500,000, created skilled fleet-maintenance jobs and reduced vehicle traffic.
asserted
deliveries → estimate → traffic
Chicago has already seen delivery robot problems
The Lincoln Park pileup did not happen in a vacuum.
asserted
pileup → see → vacuum
Delivery robots have been operating in Chicago through a pilot program, and the rollout has already faced resistance from some residents.
asserted
rollout → operate → residents
Petitions have called for the city to pause the program.
asserted
city → call → program
Those incidents help explain why another viral robot problem can quickly trigger frustration.
asserted
problem → help → frustration
The technology offers an obvious convenience.
asserted
technology → offer → convenience
A small autonomous machine can handle short food deliveries through a neighborhood.
asserted
machine → handle → neighborhood
However, city sidewalks already have plenty of competition for limited space.
asserted
sidewalks → have → space
Adding autonomous machines raises questions about how much room they should get and what happens when their navigation systems fail.
asserted
systems → add → room
The accessibility concern goes beyond an annoying sidewalk jam
The bigger issue is pedestrian access.
asserted
issue → go → jam
Public sidewalks need to work for people with very different mobility needs.
asserted
sidewalks → need → needs
A cluster of robots can narrow or block the path for someone using a wheelchair or another mobility device.
asserted
cluster → narrow → wheelchair
A blind pedestrian may have difficulty navigating an unexpected obstruction.
uncertain
pedestrian → have → obstruction
…and 35 more, not listed.
The Aporia
