Pitt pauses Starship robots after wheelchair user reports blocked curb cut
A wheelchair user said a Starship delivery robot sat in a curb cut on Forbes Avenue and blocked her way out of traffic. The University of Pittsburgh paused the robots for days.
Key facts
- On October 21, 2019, a University of Pittsburgh doctoral student who uses a power wheelchair reported that a Starship delivery robot blocked a curb cut on Forbes Avenue as she crossed.
- The University of Pittsburgh paused testing of the robots about two hours after her report was posted online.
- Starship later said footage from the robot showed she was able to reach the sidewalk, a description that differed from her account.
- Starship updated the robots' maps to leave more space at the intersection before testing resumed on October 25, 2019.
- About 25 Starship robots were being tested in the Oakland neighborhood at the time, according to the Tribune-Review.
Disputed.The parties involved give materially different accounts of what happened. Claims below are attributed to the party making them and have not been established by a court or regulator unless stated.
What happened
Starship Technologies began testing a fleet of about 25 delivery robots around the University of Pittsburgh’s Oakland campus in October 2019. On Monday, October 21, a doctoral student who uses a power wheelchair wrote on Twitter that one of the robots had been sitting in the curb cut she needed as she crossed Forbes Avenue. She said it blocked her path from the roadway onto the sidewalk while traffic approached, and that she had no way to make it move.
About two hours after her post, the university announced that it had paused testing so the technology could be reviewed. News reports said another wheelchair user had described a similar encounter earlier that month.
The system involved
Starship’s robots are white, cooler-sized six-wheeled vehicles that travel on sidewalks and wait at curb ramps to cross streets. They drive themselves along mapped routes and are monitored remotely by company staff. At Pitt they were being tested ahead of a campus food delivery service.
Investigation and response
The university said it and Starship had consulted city officials and accessibility advocates before the trial and would look into the report. Starship said it had adjusted the mapping at the intersection to leave additional room and was reviewing other crossings on campus.
Starship also said that, after reviewing footage from the robot, it had confirmed the student was able to get onto the sidewalk. Testing resumed on the afternoon of October 25, 2019, under human supervision and remote monitoring, with routes changed to keep extra space at crosswalks.
What is not established
The student said the robot blocked her; Starship said its footage showed she got past it. The footage was not made public, and no independent review settled the question.
Outcomes
- The University of Pittsburgh paused testing of the robots on October 21, 2019, about two hours after the report was posted.
- Starship changed the robots' mapping to leave more room at the intersection, and supervised testing resumed on October 25, 2019.
Sources
- Access Concerns Take Robots Off Oakland, Pa., SidewalksTribune-Review (via Government Technology), October 25, 2019
- Food Delivery Robot Resumes Testing On Pitt CampusCBS Pittsburgh, October 25, 2019
- Starship's Robots Pulled From University of Pittsburgh After Accessibility IncidentThe Spoon, October 24, 2019