Los Angeles, a city already notorious for its lack of walkability, is now seeing its pavements filled with a new type of obstacle: delivery robots. As of this month, Serve Robotics has deployed 500 of these autonomous devices across 40 neighbourhoods, up from just two in 2023. Meanwhile, Coco Robotics, founded at UCLA in 2020, operates around 300 robots across the city and plans to expand further.
The rapid expansion has stirred debate among residents and businesses. In the Silverlake neighbourhood, staff at Pazzo Gelato describe the robots as a minor nuisance, blocking foot traffic and causing congestion. At Millie’s Cafe, a diner that has been operating since 1926, one anonymous staff member said: “We hate them. They’re blocking the way and they’re hitting people.” Across the street at Kreation, a juice bar, employees worry about job losses for delivery drivers and challenges for wheelchair users.
Despite the frustrations, the robots have their defenders. They produce no exhaust fumes and do not add to road traffic. Their cute appearance, with nametags and blinking digital eyes, often elicits sympathy. During recent rainstorms, a video of a robot struggling to make deliveries went viral, with onlookers expressing pity. Serve robots even display messages asking pedestrians to push crosswalk buttons for them.
David Potes, executive chef at Seco wine bar, acknowledges the mixed feelings. His friends, he says, “both pity them and hate them”. However, he views the robots as an inevitable part of change. “It’s change – the hardest thing for people to accept is change,” he notes, adding that physical robots make technological shifts more tangible than those on a computer screen.
The expansion has prompted regulatory pushback elsewhere. Neighbouring Glendale is considering a moratorium on the bots, while Chicago has limited their deployment. As Los Angeles grapples with this new reality, the debate continues over whether these robots are a welcome innovation or an unwelcome intrusion.
