A dog walker was reportedly attacked by a Co-op robot even though the machine is allegedly designed and programmed to avoid collisions. Brian Dawson, 56, claimed that a shopping delivery bot rammed into his dog, Pippa, during an incident near a Co-op branch in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.
Mr Dawson who works as a Tesco delivery driver, then kicked the droid and took Pippa “out of harm’s way”, reported The Sun
He then reportedly shoved it onto its side which “triggered its alarm” and made a “terrible racket”’.
The Tesco delivery driver then pushed the robot into an upright position before it allegedly retreated to the store.
The incident has left the dog walker “furious” by the incident.
He said that he wants a serial number or QR code displayed on the droids so it is easier for customers to complain.
Mr Dawson alleged the robot is “supposed to be programmed to stop if obstructed” but suspects its sensors were not working properly.
Brian, whose neighbour’s doorbell cam captured the incident, told The Sun: “It came towards me at considerable speed and hit Pippa, who’s 12 and a bit doddery.
“I thought, ‘I’m not having that!’ and admit I gave it a bit of a kicking before taking my dog home out of harm’s way.
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“I was furious and went back out to make a note of its serial number or QR code. But it came straight for me again and hit my left leg.
“It’s supposed to be programmed to stop if obstructed but its sensors clearly weren’t working and it seemed to have a mind of its own. I ended up shoving it on to its side — but that triggered its alarm and it started making a terrible racket.”
He said that he tried to complain to Co-op staff but was told by the manager that the robot was not his responsibility.
A Co-op spokesperson told express.co.uk: “We are very sorry to hear of Mr. Dawson’s experience and we have raised this isolated incident with the robot’s operating company to ensure it is immediately investigated.”
The robots are operated by Starship Technologies and the orders are placed through the Starship App, the groceries are then picked from the local Co-op store, then Starship (robots) deliver the groceries.
According to the information provided on Co-op website, Starship’s robots are battery-powered, lightweight and travel at the speed of a pedestrian.
They use a combination of sensors, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to travel on pavements and navigate around any obstacles, while computer vision-based navigation helps them map their environment to the nearest inch.
