Zaragoza Residents Unhappy With Pioneering Delivery Robots That ‘Do Nothing But Get In The Way’

FOR more than one year, pioneering food delivery robots have been travelling the streets of the city of Zaragoza.

However, despite this initiative being one of the first in Europe, many of the city’s residents have voiced their resentment toward these robotic carts. Some consider them a road safety hazard, while others see them as a threat to their jobs.

These 100 per cent autonomous robots belong to the Goggo Network company which made Zaragoza the first Spanish city to utilise this new form of automated delivery service.

Zaragoza is the first city in Spain to have these robots

Referred to as ‘gadgets’ by many Zaragoza residents, the robotic devices were deployed in the city with the objective of becoming a complement to the traditional delivery services that are available.

By travelling on the pavements, the argument in their favour is that they help to reduce traffic congestion and pollution, because these vehicles are fully autonomous.

Speaking with okdiario.com, one individual complained that the robots ‘only get in the way’. ‘Let’s see what happens with this contraption that keeps getting in the way and some clueless person is going to get their nose stuck in it’, another woman told the news outlet.

Another passer-by told the publication that the vehicles had caused some damage to shop windows: ‘Some of them got stuck right in the window. It’s going to happen, any day soon they’re going to blow us up and take us away’, she added fearfully.

Disabled people saw the robots as a danger

People with reduced mobility also perceived the robotic carts as a threat. A disabled man in a wheelchair compared them to personal mobility vehicles: ‘They are just like those scooters on the pavement, I think they are just as dangerous for pedestrians, and when we are disabled, we are really messed up’.

As for delivery drivers in Zaragoza, many see these robots as a direct threat to their jobs. It should also be noted that this is only the beginning of this new autonomous vehicle technology.

Goggo Network also has a division of autonomous, van-style delivery vehicles, produced with the aim of being deployed in Europe in the very near future, in the same way that other companies already operate in China and some US states.

A Cuban-born dealer insisted: ‘With the need we’re going through and how much they’re squeezing us, you throw in the towel. They are looking for so much new technology that people are no longer going to work and are going to stay at home, but if we don’t work, how are we going to eat or live’, he complained.

These robots were first deployed in Zaragoza in July 2022

In July 2022, the pilot test of this company began in Zaragoza after Goggo obtained the first logistics licence for autonomous robots in Spain.

Their project was planned in four phases, in order to validate safety, but above all, to measure public, technical and commercial acceptance. The company’s goal was to finally have a fleet of about 80 robots operating in the city.

In the first phase, a mapping of the initial area was carried out. Regardless of whether they are equipped with sensors and autonomy, the robots still have a control base in the city, so that they can be operated remotely.

These vehicles can exceed the average walking pace of a human, reaching up to 5km per hour. They weigh around 40 kg and are 80 centimetres high, with a width of almost half a metre.

Similar robots are operating in Moscow, Hollywood and Cambridge in the UK

In addition to Zaragoza, similar autonomous robots are currently being tested in Cambridge, Moscow and Hollywood. Despite being equipped with technology that allows them to recognise urban environments, they have still not achieved efficient mobility, as can be seen in a multitude of videos circulating on social networks.

A few days ago, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service posted video footage showing firefighters having to assist some ‘confused delivery robots’ while they were fighting a fire in a building after their water hoses appeared to create an obstruction to them.

‘Sorry @coopuk our hoses and fire engines confused your delivery robots in #Cambridge this evening as we tackled a building fire, but firefighters helped them on their way – hopefully not too many delays!’, they tweeted.

Sorry @coopuk our hoses and fire engines confused your delivery robots in #Cambridge this evening as we tackled a building fire, but firefighters helped them on their way – hopefully not too many delays! pic.twitter.com/qexBd75TCp

— Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (@cambsfrs) September 16, 2023

Another video recorded showing dozens of these robot delivery vehicles touring Moscow’s Gorky Park went viral last week.

Invasion of delivery robots…. pic.twitter.com/sjMrAcUZpH

— Jung (@betterworld_24) September 22, 2023