[dfinlay]

I would be very excited to receive items from one of these robots. However, I don't know if I could bring myself to send anything of import. The risk of en route damage/theft seems really high. The trapping or taunting of them seems like a surefire activity for children. Their contribution to already congested pedestrian routes in urban areas seems like a perfect catalyst for sidewalk rage induced kicks. If they were to commonly transport high value goods, theft would be a huge issue. A few hours to build a serviceable faraday cage and you have a drop and lift job that nets significant gains. Not advocated theft, but it seems a rather obvious risk.

Also, dogs rejoice! You finally have a catchable, chewable mail courier.

Edit: There also seems to be some potential security risks here. Some cities may not be keen on unmanned, arbitrary payload carrying robots driving through throngs of pedestrians. They are going to have vet the store operators and detect if a recipient fills a unit with unexpected items. Maybe that is just paranoia.

[bigethan]

> If they were to commonly transport high value goods, theft would be a huge issue.

That was my first thought as well. Get a van and a sledgehammer and wait a few blocks away from their depot in the morning. Sure they could phone home, but what is the cost of maintaining a staff to protect the robots vs. just having the staff deliver things.

Reminds me of a friend who was a Marine Biologist. Their lab spent a lot of money to get an underwater probe that could go around and take automated readings based on a map. But the probe cost so much money that they had to follow it the whole time in a boat to make sure it didn't get lost.

[betimsl]

>> If they were to commonly transport high value goods, theft would be a huge issue.

The first thing I thought.

> ...they had to follow it the whole time in a boat to make sure it didn't get lost.

This should be a great input for this company making these, actually solves the issue of theft. One robot, one person to follow it from a distance and make sure it does not get lost or, ehem stolen.

[dfinlay]

> This should be a great input for this company making these, actually solves the issue of theft. One robot, one person to follow it from a distance and make sure it does not get lost or, ehem stolen.

A one to one relationship doesn't seem like it would scale. They could make their operation centers mobile by outfitting vans or buses. That would allow for visual monitoring as needed, and quick responses to breakdowns/thefts/vandalism. As an added bonus, they could see a net savings on downtown office space as well!

[chillingeffect]

Maybe it's more like this: a foreperson rolls up in a truck. Then a stream of about 20 of these fulla ciggies n beer loops through to the convenience store to drop it off. No heavy hand truck.

[Flenser]

If they were commonplace, they could monitor each other. As soon as one is tampered with, others could be re-reouted to follow the perpitrators. It would be like having a mobile CCTV network.

[lifeformed]

Here's my idea: As soon as it detects that it's being tampered with or stolen, it locks down and sends out a distress signal to a recovery team. It goes into "hostage mode" and records all sights, sounds, GPS locations, back to the team. The recovery team already has legal stuff figured out with the local police force, and they work together to retrieve the bot and prosecute the offenders, which should be easy with all the data collected.

That should be quite effective against most thieves, and building up a reputation for 100% recovery and prosecution would deter future thieves.

A faraday cage trap might be pretty tough to deal with though. Maybe it can emit annoying sounds if it detects it's being trapped.

[zbyte64]

Unless it is a safe, the thief could just drill into the battery.

[chedabob]

> If they were to commonly transport high value goods, theft would be a huge issue.

More so than normal deliveries? There's nothing stopping someone clobbering the USPS guy and emptying the van. At least with the robot it's only carrying one item and it can record the attack on its cameras.

[Filligree]

> More so than normal deliveries? There's nothing stopping someone clobbering the USPS guy and emptying the van. At least with the robot it's only carrying one item and it can record the attack on its cameras.

People are a great deal more reluctant to attack other people. Most criminals are nonviolent.

[zensavona]

My first thought also - I wonder what kind 'self-defense' mechanisms would be legal and/or effective.

It says on the website that the robots are monitored by humans , I think a human voice beaming from the thing saying "Hey, we're recording you messing with our robot" would be enough to deter 95% of potential attackers.

What about the other 5%?

[dfinlay]

As long as the items are low value like groceries, the other 5% probably wouldn't bother. They might be wise to impose a value or insurable limit, at least initially.

[RobertoG]

"I wonder what kind 'self-defense' mechanisms would be legal and/or effective."

Maybe this thing will be followed by a weaponized drone (they tell me is legal in Pakistan).

[bryanlarsen]

If package theft was a significant problem, Amazon would require signature on delivery for everything.

[Shivetya]

Liability issues would be my concern. They device would need to record 360 video to prove it didn't cause an accident or injury.

I do see a use for delivery within an office building. Likely this might be the best way to get people accustomed to them. Simply have them operate in the office setting. Even better, connect to intelligent vending machines and they will go get you snacks, drinks, and more, all through the use of an app.

[orthoganol]

I think the biggest risk at least in a city like San Francisco is people taking their anger out against "rich techies" on these robots. Look how riled San Francisco is right now, what with the perception that techies are causing all their problems. I am certain this would have to put up with an onslaught from these segments of society.

[insulanian]

> Also, dogs rejoice! You finally have a catchable, chewable mail courier.

You, sir, gave me a hell of a laugh today :)

[melling]

Just add video. Most people behave differently if they're being filmed. Transmit to a call center.

[huhtenberg]

Theft/vandalism of robots themselves would be no less of an issue as well.