Waymo robotaxi and Serve delivery robot collide at Los Angeles intersection

What happened

On the night of December 27, 2024, a Serve Robotics delivery robot crossed a street in the Los Angeles area; the video shows a West Hollywood location. The robot reached the far curb, backed up a little to line itself up with the ramp and moved forward again. As it paused at the curb and then edged into the turning lane, a Waymo robotaxi making a right turn entered the intersection.

The Waymo braked hard but struck the side of the robot. The two stayed in contact for about a minute before separating, and the robot then drove away. Neither was damaged. The collision was captured on video that circulated on social media, which is how it became public.

The system involved

Serve Robotics runs sidewalk delivery robots for restaurant orders in Los Angeles. The company said that, as is standard for its intersection crossings, a remote human supervisor was controlling the robot at the time.

The Waymo was an autonomous robotaxi with no one on board. Waymo said its driving system detected the robot and correctly classified it as an inanimate object, a category for which it does not apply the extra caution it uses around pedestrians and children, and that it braked hard before contact.

Investigation and response

Both companies confirmed the collision to TechCrunch. Waymo gave the impact speed as about 4 mph. Serve Robotics said this was the first collision between one of its robots and a robotaxi. Both said they were in contact to prevent a repeat. No injuries, citations or regulatory actions were reported.

What is not established

The person who posted the video said the delivery robot had crossed against a red light; the footage does not clearly show this and neither company confirmed it. It is not known whether Waymo’s remote support staff were involved after the impact. Neither company addressed fault.