Delivery robots take over Chicago sidewalks

Environmental and Transport Tradeoffs

• Many argue robots are clearly better than 2,000 lb cars for short “burrito runs,” but others say this is a strawman and that the real comparison should be to bikes, e‑bikes, or walking.
• Some contend that human-powered bikes are far more energy-efficient than small electric vehicles; others counter that humans are energy-inefficient “engines” and eat regardless, so marginal robot energy might be lower.
• There’s disagreement over whether robots are environmentally “better” than cyclists: some see robots as “bike minus human,” others note the environmental cost of manufacturing and maintaining robots at all.

Demand for Delivery and Work Culture

• Several comments link heavy delivery use to long commutes, exhausting jobs, and lack of remote work; delivery is framed as time/energy “recovery” for overworked people.
• Others see rampant food delivery as lazy or absurd, arguing people should just go get their own food.

Where Robots Should Operate

• Strong pushback on robots using sidewalks, especially where bikes and scooters are already banned.
• Some suggest dedicated infrastructure or using bike lanes/roads, but others note higher liability, visibility issues, and risk of serious cyclist crashes.

Accessibility and Safety Concerns

• Repeated first-hand reports from Chicago: robots blocking the only shoveled path, sitting in the middle of sidewalks, bright blinding lights, fast speeds, awkward cornering.
• Commenters highlight risks for wheelchair users, people with canes, blind pedestrians, elderly, and winter conditions.
• Toronto’s ban is cited as prioritizing disability access over robot trials.

Use of Public Space and Labor Issues

• Critics see this as corporations monetizing scarce pedestrian infrastructure and externalizing commercial costs onto sidewalks.
• Some object that robots displace low-wage delivery work; others call that a “lamplighter fallacy,” arguing progress shouldn’t be frozen to preserve specific jobs.

Public Acceptance, Vandalism, and Regulation

• Many predict robots will be vandalized, flipped, netted, or blocked in, especially in rougher neighborhoods; some see this as “self-correcting” market feedback.
• There is debate over legality of kicking/moving a blocking robot and whether regulation vs direct action is the right response.
• Others argue cities elsewhere (e.g., parts of LA, some campuses) have already iterated toward workable coexistence, though others dispute that the problem is “solved.”

Autonomous Vehicles, Drones, and Future Visions

• One camp imagines a future of sidewalk robots, robotaxis, and drones replacing most parked cars and human drivers: less fuel, fewer accidents, more bike lanes.
• Another camp fears noise, surveillance, algorithmic prioritization over people, and e‑waste from abandoned hardware, likening it to dystopian sci‑fi.
• Waymo’s safety versus human drivers is hotly contested, with some emphasizing good stats and others sharing anecdotes of aggressive AV behavior and questioning corporate motives.

Alternatives and Humor

• Suggestions include human couriers on bikes, underground delivery tunnels, pneumatic “burrito tubes,” artillery-style burrito launchers, and eventual bipedal or quadrupedal robots.
• Several comments mix serious criticism with dark or absurd humor about nets, tridents, rivers, and “scrapping robots for metal.”