A safety debate concerning delivery robots’ ability to be wary of the differently abled has been sparked after a Serve Robotics robot made contact with a man with cerebral palsy.
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Mark Chaney, a man with cerebral palsy, was driving down Los Angeles on September 13 on his mobility scooter when a Serve Robotics delivery robot kept cutting him off, resulting in contact.
He recorded the moment and shared on both his Instagram and TikTok. In the video, you can clearly see the robot swerving erratically on the road. Despite Chaney’s best efforts to make way, he crashed into the robot.
Chaney spoke to KTLA, where he said that the robot nearly bumped into him earlier, prompting him to start recording.
Swerve Robots Denies Any Fault With Their Robot
Swerve Robotics denied Chaney’s claim in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
The company claimed that the robot did not “reverse” as stated, but “abruptly stopped,” which they allege is a safety feature. They downplayed the “a single instance of contact,” although Chaney claimed that if he were using his crutches, it would have been enough power to make him fall, potentially resulting in weeks of recovery in a statement also shared to the outlet.
Ultimately, Chaney believes that Swerve Robotics need to do more in the detection of the differently abled. He spoke to ABC 7, where he said, “At minimum, they need to include people with disabilities in the room when these systems are designed.”
“If we’re not there, it’s not built for us.”
Chaney reached out to Swerve Robotics again with “requests for change and accountability.” And it looks like they responded well.
Yet Swerve Robotics Is Making A Change
Although Chaney expressed that Swerve Robotics dismissed his issue, they have since made an effort to improve their detection technologies.
The company have expressed that they are “fast-tracking” the launch of an Accessibility Council. They are hoping this effort gains more feedback from the disabled community.
“We are continuously working to improve how the robots navigate and interact with others, and will be implementing improvements as a result of this incident as well,” they told PEOPLE.