They’re part of a pilot program with Serv and Cocoa Robotics in the city, which have fleets of food delivery robots.
Not everyone wants to share the sidewalk with remotely controlled, four-wheeled machines.
Over 800 Chicago residents have signed a petition calling for the pilot program to be halted due to safety and accessibility concerns.
Josh Robertson, who created the petition, said he had no objection to the robot at first.
He said, “I’m a Star Wars fan. My initial reaction was, ‘Finally, droids are here.’
But once he encounters a man while out on a walk with his family, he realizes he’s not R2-D2 at all.
“It was a vehicle that was coming toward us. It had cameras on, its bright headlights were shining at full power and we instinctively moved out of its way,” Robertson said. “People do this out of reflex when there are people coming towards them in the same lane, but this was a pedestrian in a pedestrian zone.”
He started feeling uneasy and started wondering what would happen as thousands more people were to be deployed by the end of this year.
“Sidewalks must be accessible to everyone; they must be safe. They cannot be compromised,” he said.
He began the campaign on foot, distributing flyers in Lakeview, calling for “CDOT and BACP to release safety and ADA findings, evaluate data and local job impacts at public hearings, and set clear rules.”
The Personal Delivery Device (PDD) pilot program was first introduced to the Chicago City Council by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot in 2022. Under the pilot program, companies like Cocoa and Serve partner with restaurants as a courier service to deliver food orders to customers using robots.
In November 2024, COCO was licensed by the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP), the terms of which were jointly managed with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT). SERVE to be launched in September 2025. BACP and CDOT say the pilot program is designed to assess both “benefits and risks.”
In the initial release, CDOT said they are “assessing whether these delivery robots can be used to safely replace vehicle trips without inconvenienceing other sidewalk users.”
According to BACP, the pilot program will not continue beyond May 2027 without action by the City Council.
But according to Robertston’s petition, hundreds of people want it to stop now. Most of the complaints are from the North Side, but span 30 different ZIP codes.
By far the biggest topic in feedback is interruptions, such as the robot stopping in the middle of a sidewalk or crosswalk.
Accessibility is also a concern.
“It impacts people who use wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, we’ve seen all of that in the responses,” Robertson said. “Some of the incidents that have been reported have involved physical confrontations.”
Anthony Jonas left his apartment one morning, turned the corner and was hit by a robot, leaving a scar over his eye.
“It’s doing a lot better today. I still have a little bit of a scar,” Jonas said. “And I tripped over it, and I hit my eyelids at the visibility flag attached to the robot… blood and urgent care, stitches. The whole thing.”
He is demanding legal action and has already signed Robertson’s petition.
“We’re asking the city to publish the safety and accessibility data on the robots. We’re asking the city to hold a public hearing to discuss that data,” Robertson said.
Several aldermen said they are working to gather residents’ opinions on the issue, but Robertson has made up his mind – saying sidewalks are for people, and on their walks, there is no room for robots.
Other cities, such as San Francisco, have banned delivery sidewalk robots. Toronto banned delivery robots from all sidewalks and bike lanes in 2021.
Surveillance is another concern. Each Coco robot has five cameras that are constantly on and record large amounts of data “every day…a full 360-degree perception”, which a human “pilot” can use to help guide the robot.
According to its website, COCO has a “vast and growing” video collection to help build a model for autonomous navigation.
The SERVO robots are also equipped with cameras and other technology to help them “walk safely on busy city sidewalks.” Unlike Coco, Serv robots already routinely work autonomously.
Both Serv and Coco say that when a safety issue arises their teams review “all evidence,” including video footage.
Both Serv and Coco said they keep an eye on safety issues and follow city rules for sidewalk delivery robots. He also told CBS News Chicago that robots can’t go faster than 5 mph and can’t slow down near pedestrians.
According to BACP, companies are required to report robot-related injuries as per the terms and conditions of the permit.
Koko said he was interested in meeting the petition organizer. The city’s pilot program is scheduled to run until at least May 2026.
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