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Uber Eats delivery robots kicked and sat on by Philadelphia residents

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Philadelphia residents have been sharing sidewalks with robot delivery drivers for about a month and they are not happy about the change. Uber Eats held a demo on March 10 showing off its Avride autonomous delivery robots, which officially launched in the city of brotherly love the same week.

Robots have been described as the “future of delivery”, but people around them quickly began to resent automated couriers. In late March, an Uber Eats delivery robot in Philadelphia’s Center City neighborhood was kicked multiple times.

Autonomous delivery robot toppled over when kicked a second time According to WPVI-TVIt was stated that the people who attacked the robot attached it to its wheels.

The kicking incident occurred right after another viral incident involving someone. I sat on one of robots.

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“When delivery robots are introduced to a new area, it’s quite common to see increased curiosity from the people around them. Some may try to ‘test’ how the robot will respond — for example, by stepping in front of it or trying to interact with it directly,” Avride, the company that produces the robots, told Fox News Digital.

“This is a known and expected phase as people become accustomed to technology. These few incidents of vandalism in Philadelphia have not impacted our service area expansion plans.

Uber Eats delivery robots have received a hostile reception in Philadelphia. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

“Robots are designed to react cautiously. In most cases, if someone approaches or interferes, they will stop and wait, and only continue their route once the interaction is over. In practice, these moments are usually brief; humans tend to satisfy their curiosity within a minute or so and then move on. We also do not condone intentional harm or unsafe behavior towards robots.”

Lindsay Ouellette, a third-year doctoral student in social psychology who is part of Temple University’s Robot Social Navigation Among Pedestrians (roboSNAP) team. he told BillyPenn Disappointment with robots is not new, it is just aimed at a new target. Pedestrians may be annoyed by people walking slowly or looking at their phones, as well as objecting to delivery robots, he said.

Delivery robots have been deployed in dozens of cities across the U.S., including Austin, Dallas and Jersey City. Robots keep orders safe by requesting customers unlock the cargo door via the Uber Eats app. Additionally, Avride is immediately notified if someone tampers with the device or tries to steal it.

“Each delivery robot’s cargo bay is securely locked and can only be opened by the intended recipient via a mobile app. If anyone attempts unauthorized access or attempts to steal the robot, an alert is triggered for our remote operator. The operator will immediately connect to the robot’s sensory feed to assess the situation and take appropriate action to secure it.” Avride said on the website.

A delivery robot navigates 6th Avenue during the SXSW Conference and Festival on March 13, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Julia Beverly/Getty Images)

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While the robots can move without human intervention, Avride has a remote support team that can control the robots in case “an extraordinary situation arises.”

The robotic delivery service is available in Philadelphia’s Center City, Chinatown and Old City neighborhoods from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The robots use LIDAR sensors and cameras to navigate and can travel at speeds of approximately 5 miles per hour.

Avride says its robots can operate in a variety of weather conditions, including rain and snow. In addition, the company said the robots can interpret and recognize traffic light signals, allowing them to safely navigate busy city streets.