Robots making deliveries for Uber Eats in a Sheffield suburb have been defaced only a few days after they began operating.
The autonomous carts are designed to pick up food from takeaways and shops and deliver them to local users through the Uber Eats app.
The robots were first sighted on 20 March in the Meersbrook neighbourhood of Sheffield, according to local media reports, but a week later were found vandalised and defaced with spray paint.
‘Sinister’
A pole which the robots carry with a flag on it to signal their presence was bent, and the words “off our street” were written on the robots in black paint.
People have also been sticking gaffer tape to the robots, local news outlet The Star reported, citing a local resident, while traffic cones have also been placed behind the robots when at their docking stations to prevent them from moving.
Local residents have raised concerns about the robots replacing human jobs, while a local business owner told the BBC it was “sinister” to see the devices patrolling the streets with so many cameras.
“The robots are owned by a private company. Who knows what they are doing with that data?” said local business owner Adam Dolling.
Autonomous robots
Starship Technologies, which operates the robots, said human features are obfuscated, the company complies with GDPR privacy regulations, and no recordings or images are shared with Uber.
Uber Eats said the robots are “a testament to the city’s position at the forefront of British engineering”, while Starship said they reduce carbon emissions.
