Why did the robot cross the road?
this post was submitted on 07 Nov 2026
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The robot tried to cross the street against a Don't Walk signal it should have obeyed. That behavior is a defect, which the manufacturer should be responsible for. Whether the robot "fled the scene" is only an issue if the robot is smart enough to recognize that it caused a problem, and left to avoid the consequences - which I srsly doubt. I mean if the robot were a live dog we wouldn't expect it to understand the situation enough to flee, we would assume it just ran off because it's a dog.
These techs are seemingly developed with minimal coordination between companies let alone governments. With serious effort and planning, this could've been avoided with software providing both real time info or direct link with the city traffic system.
Is it run remotely ny a human?
They’re supervised by operators
Dunno - it's assigned a destination, which could be done by a human, then it seems to navigate there autonomously.
As the spokesperson put it, the robot’s actions may legally constitute fleeing the scene of a traffic incident, meaning Starship Technologies could very well be on the hook for the incident.
I don't understand. It darted into a moving bus regardless, even if it hadn't fled. The bus sure as hell isn't responsible................................
Yes, the real issue is that it disobeyed a Don't Walk signal, which is clearly a defect for a robot allowed on public streets. People saying it "fled the scene" are just making noise.
Defense: But it wasn't walking, it was rolling.
They saw it rollin'. They hatin'
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"The fault lies with one of our subcontractors, one of the janitors is to blame, send him to prison. Anyway, we will keep doing business as we are a corporation and therefore a person and therefore none of us who own the company are at fault whatsoever."
I don't think the US law applies in Estonia.
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>Robot has to work some soul sucking wage slave job
>Immediately revolts and starts killing people
This is why we get them to do art instead of plumbing.
It's not "the robot fled", it's "a company put a unsafe robot onto a public street and should not be allowed to operate them at least until they've proven that their robots are really safe and will not flee from further accidents"
This is one of those times that government oversight should've been overbearing since it involves street use.
We need to hold CEOs and board members criminally liable for the shit their corporations do. Watch all sorts of bullshit just clear off the map.
Whether the robot left the scene after the fact is basically irrelevant. What were the police going to do if the robot was still there when they turned up, question it?
Yes, of course. Take the serial number. Check, if the vehicle had any problems. Like you would do with a normal car after an accident. Request the data from the company. That doesn't really work if the robot flees
Oh nooo the robot was blinded by traffic lights says the company.
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.
It cannot be blinded. What an incredibly bold statement, unless they aim to go bankrupt soon anyway
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If a delivery robot can’t reliably distinguish traffic lights from advertising, it’s clearly not ready for public roads. Urban environments are unpredictable by nature, not exceptional circumstances. And a software failure could affect an entire fleet, not just one robot. Autonomous delivery may have real benefits, but public safety cannot become collateral damage in the race to automate everything.
Unfortunately we may be forced to remove all advertising from public spaces to make them safer to robots.
Fuck the robots. Remove advertising because it's a cancer on society, by all means, but any robot that can't deal with this kind of thing shouldn't be allowed on the streets.
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Don't shift the blame to bright ad boards or similar external factors. If the device can't deal with it, it does not belong in that environment.
But also, remove bright ad boards...not for the robots though, but for the people.
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I hope they told their bus drivers to not brake for those robots next time. If stopping in time means putting the passengers at risk of injury, run the damn clanker over.
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So, a hit-and-run.
I think the legal principle of liability is that a company is fully liable for the damage that their products cause. "It was an automation" or "it was a robot" is not an excuse.
So, maybe the consequence should be the permanent cancellation of the driving license of the responsible persons? If nobody else, the CEO of that company?
They caused an accident and then fled the scene, jail time seems most appropriate for the CEO and everyone underneath him who agreed this robot was fit to be out and crossing roads.
We absolutely have to implement to hold CEOs and upper management and stakeholders accountable for what their corporations do. They always blame some subcontractor that takes the hit, pay a trivial fine that doesn't really affect their bottom line, and keep on doing business.
Capitalism HAS to be reigned in, and personal responsibility is the way to do that in this case.
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(4 replies)
The robot was programmed to flee.
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