Sidewalk Robots Get Legal Rights As 'Pedestrians' (axios.com) 64
States like Pennsylvania, Virginia, Idaho, Florida and Wisconsin have granted sidewalk robots legal rights as "pedestrians." Axios reports: In Pennsylvania, robot "pedestrians" can weigh up to 550 pounds and drive up to 12 mph. "Opposition has largely come from pedestrian and accessibility advocates, as well as labor unions like the Teamsters," per the Pittsburgh City Paper. The laws are a boon to Amazon's Scout delivery robot and FedEx's Roxo, which are being tested in urban and suburban settings. "Backers say the laws will usher in a future where household items show up in a matter of hours, with fewer idling delivery vans blocking traffic and spewing emissions," per Wired.
Some technology evangelists think these laws are a spectacularly bad idea. The National Association of City Transportation Officials -- NACTO -- says the robots "should be severely restricted if not banned outright." "Uncoordinated autonomous delivery services could flood sidewalks with bots, making walking increasingly difficult and unpleasant," NACTO says in a report. "Drone delivery could significantly increase noise pollution and add a new dimension of chaos to urban streets."
Some technology evangelists think these laws are a spectacularly bad idea. The National Association of City Transportation Officials -- NACTO -- says the robots "should be severely restricted if not banned outright." "Uncoordinated autonomous delivery services could flood sidewalks with bots, making walking increasingly difficult and unpleasant," NACTO says in a report. "Drone delivery could significantly increase noise pollution and add a new dimension of chaos to urban streets."
Whooosh! (Score:5, Interesting)
Ah, if only cities hadn't gotten rid of their pneumatic systems.
https://about.usps.com/who-we-... [usps.com]
Re: Whooosh! (Score:1)
Interesting analogy to public transport versus cars!
Rollin, rollin, rollin (Score:2)
Going with automation is/will-be less expensive than not going with automation. Eventually, for every purpose.
Everything that's going to happen can be extrapolated from that.
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Ah, if only cities hadn't gotten rid of their pneumatic systems.
We will bring them back in the Future [sciencevshollywood.com] Saw it in a documentary.
If they have the same rights (Score:5, Interesting)
are they bound by the same restrictions? If they do something that would get a person a ticket, will the owners get fined?
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The general idea, and the assumption (at least by Amazon) is yes. They put a lot of work into figuring out how not to jay walk and the like. Loitering might be an issue with particularly technophobic cops.
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
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Agreed, and I would be happy to enforce that if I encountered such a situation.
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I would love to hear from the people that moderated this comment as troll, I really want to understand what problems they see with my comment. (currently Score:2, Troll)
Your post did not deserve any down-mods, but nonetheless, your claim that accessibility advocates have a point is wrong. These robots already do exactly what you suggest.
Making our sidewalks more robot-friendly will help accessibility: Where a robot can roll a wheelchair can also go.
The people objecting to these robo-pedestrians are either self-interested (such as the Teamsters) or professional complainers (such as the accessibility advocates).
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At least two of the makers have done that, I'd be surprised if the others haven't or don't follow suit as soon as it's brought up to them.
It's America. (Score:1, Troll)
They'll be the only pedeatrians. ;)
And catch all the half-full soda cans from passing cars for being such weirdos. ;)
Re:It's America. (Score:5, Funny)
There will be a few other pedestrians, but given they robot's 550 pound weight limit they'll at least be fighting someone their own size.
Re: It's America. (Score:1)
And catch all the half-full soda cans from passing cars
Shame it won't be twelve gauge slugs.
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They'll be the only pedeatrians. ;)
And catch all the half-full soda cans from passing cars for being such weirdos. ;)
Walking is so pedestrian.
12 mph pedestrian! (Score:2)
I'd like to see a 550 pound dude walk that fast!
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They allow 12 mph on the sidewalk?! Amazing...
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They allow 12 mph on the sidewalk?! Amazing...
Never in my life have I seen someone fined or arrested for running at 20 km/h on the sidewalk. So I kind of assume they've always allowed it.
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Hits harder than a pro football player (Score:3)
Re:Hits harder than a pro football player (Score:4, Insightful)
Can I shoot if I fear for my life?
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*checks 2nd Amendment*
Doesn't say I can't have one.
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*checks 2nd Amendment*
Doesn't say I can't have one.
Doesn't say you can't yell FIRE in a crowded theater, and yet you can't legally...unless there's a fire.
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That's not a great analogy since it's been debated as inaccurate and ruled against over the past 100 years. But in the original Holmes ruling, people were not allowed to distribute anti-war flyers or say things counter to the war effort (World War 1). This is a slap in the face of what those of us 100 years later generally consider to be protected speech. You should probably drop the drop the "fire in a crowded theater" (mis)quote because it carried such baggage that works against your intended point.
I thin
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Regardless, the point is that there are lots of things the Constitution doesn't mention that you can't do or have.
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are they doing to send the company CEO to prison since the robot has rights?
The company CEO, ha right. No, they send the robot to jail. Right away. No trial, no nothing. Clickbait headline bots, we have a special jail just for them. Bot is stealing: right to jail. Bots playing music too loud: right to jail, right away. Moving too fast: jail. Slow: jail. We have the best robots in the world because of jail.
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One delivery van stops in an alley downtown, releases a fleet of drones, and leaves. Comes back an hour later to the same spot and picks them back up. A different delivery company's van comes downtown and spends an hour (optimistically) delivering a dozen packages, most of that time spent idling and obstructing traffic. Which is more energy efficient? Which pollutes more?
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One delivery van stops in an alley downtown, releases a fleet of drones, and leaves. Comes back an hour later to the same spot and picks them back up. A different delivery company's van comes downtown and spends an hour (optimistically) delivering a dozen packages, most of that time spent idling and obstructing traffic. Which is more energy efficient? Which pollutes more?
Ah like George Jetson you mean? Because you think that it will exactly like that? How do these robots navigate stairs or intercoms for example?
My money is still on the human...
Oregon State (Score:2)
I can see that controversy coming here some day as the cute little robots running around OSU do sometimes rather plug up the sidewalk - I've seen a half a dozen in a clump sometimes, several times a couple of them face-to-face figuring out how to get past each other ;-) They are very popular though, as I always see them (anywhere from 2-8, usually 4ish of them) running around delivering food when I drive through campus.
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Re: Oregon State (Score:2)
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It looks like that, but they do seem to be able to get around it eventually...
Will they be paying taxes, like I did? (Score:5, Insightful)
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I mean, my tax dollars built the sidewalks. Shouldn't a use tax be charged for companies to use these robots on sidewalks? Don't commercial vehicles pay use tax?
I'm sure there will be registration and tax required. In what universe does that not happen?
Yet, Segways, Skateboards, and Bikes Barred (Score:2)
https://www.outsideonline.com/... [outsideonline.com]
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850 bicyclist deaths per year in the entire country? That is significantly lower than I expected.
Pedestrians on sidewalks in Pennsylvania? (Score:3)
Not sure who wrote the legislation in Pennsylvania (aside from politicians), but obviously they haven't done much walking on sidewalks. Or driven on the roads.You're liable to twist or break your ankle on many sidewalks, and you're definitely going to have to get your alignment taken care of driving on PA roads.
And don't forget, it was Philadelphia where the friendly robot trying to go cross country was beheaded [cnn.com]. If you think weighing 500 pounds would be an impediment, think again.
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Love that it was beheaded in the "City of Brotherly Love"...oxymoron if there ever was one.
Can't be less safe than current pedestrians (Score:2)
Most are zombies looking at their cell phones or listening to audio on headphones oblivious to their surroundings.
Can't be less safe than current zombies. (Score:4, Funny)
Well that's not right. Zombies should be terrorizing citizens and eating their brains.
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HERF guns that work from a distance.
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Bouncing sponges off them won't do much.
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Then the robot owners will get permission to allow the robots to defend themselves. Money talks.
This is not about "legal" rights for robots (Score:4, Insightful)
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I saw this movie (Score:2)
Ah, just like corporations, the rights of people (Score:2)
People are going to have fun with this (Score:2)
Give them the bicycle lanes. (Score:2, Funny)
A delivery robot will at least obey the stop lights and stop signs. They won't lean on your car when actually bothering to wait for a light. They don't get obnoxious, they don't throw their soda at you. They also won't have those damn migraine inducing flashing headlamps. They can have all those bike only streets, too. You know the ones, blocked off from normal traffic by some bike mayor who likes to road rash his taint and balls on a stone hard wedge seat, and steals all the parking to make room for t
Re: Give them the bicycle lanes. (Score:1)
A delivery robot will at least obey the stop lights and stop signs. They won't lean on your car when actually bothering to wait for a light. They don't get obnoxious, they don't throw their soda at you. They also won't have those damn migraine inducing flashing headlamps. They can have all those bike only streets, too. You know the ones, blocked off from normal traffic by some bike mayor who likes to road rash his taint and balls on a stone hard wedge seat, and steals all the parking to make room for those bike lanes in the first place.
Give them the car lanes.
A delivery robot will at least obey the speed limits. They won't make obscene gesture when you intend to use that crosswalk. They don't get obnoxious, they don't horn at you. They also won't have those damn migraine inducing fumes from noisy engine. They can have all those highways, too. You know the ones, blocking normal human walks by some car industry subsidized mayor who likes to cover nature with asphalt, and steals all the city real estate to store cars in the first place.
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12MPH on the sidewalks? (Score:2)
a 550# robot moving 12MPH on a busy sidewalk is a very bad idea.
Money talks. (Score:2)
Money talks; nobody walks. In this case, it will be a literal interpretation that is correct, as walking down the sidewalk you will be taking your life into your hands.