Starship delivery robot reverses into ASU parking attendant in Tempe

What happened

On September 22, 2023, a parking attendant employed by Arizona State University was working near the East Lemon Street entrance of the Apache Boulevard parking structure on the Tempe campus. According to the ASU police report, described by 404 Media and KJZZ, she saw a Starship food delivery robot crossing the sidewalk in front of her, waited for it to pass and then walked behind it.

The report says the robot then reversed abruptly and struck her, and she fell onto her back. As the robot moved off it reversed again and came back toward her while she was still on the ground. The Tempe Fire Department treated her at the scene. The report records a 4-inch laceration near her left elbow, back pain and trouble walking.

The event became public a year later, in September 2024, when 404 Media obtained the police report.

The system involved

Starship Technologies operates fleets of six-wheeled, cooler-sized robots that deliver food on university campuses, including ASU. The robots drive themselves on sidewalks and can be monitored and controlled by remote staff. Under Arizona law they are classed as personal delivery devices with the same rights and duties as pedestrians, and operators must have someone monitoring the device.

Investigation and response

ASU police documented the collision. KJZZ reported that, according to the police report, Starship supplied video from the robot and asked for the woman’s contact information in order to offer its insurance details and promo codes for its service.

The woman filed suit against Starship Technologies and an unnamed remote operator in Maricopa County Superior Court. The complaint alleges the robot was defective and unreasonably dangerous, that a remote operator either failed to intervene or steered it backward, and that she suffered severe, debilitating and permanent injuries. In its court response Starship attributes her injuries to her own negligence, to pre-existing conditions and to a third party, KJZZ reported; the company declined to comment publicly on the pending case.

What is not established

Why the robot reversed, and whether it was driving itself or being controlled remotely at that moment, has not been established. The severity of the injuries is contested: the police report describes a cut, back pain and difficulty walking, while the lawsuit alleges permanent harm. The filing date and outcome of the lawsuit were not confirmed in the sources reviewed.