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Cited by 53Social Robot Interaction and HRIUrban and Freight Transport LogisticsRobotics and Automated Systems

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Sharing the Sidewalk: Observing Delivery Robot Interactions with Pedestrians during a Pilot in Pittsburgh, PA

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Weinberg, David, Dwyer, Healy, Fox, Sarah E., Martelaro, Nikolas·2023·Multimodal Technologies and Interaction
DOI 10.3390/mti7050053
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Abstract

Sidewalk delivery robots are being deployed as a form of last-mile delivery. While many such robots have been deployed on college campuses, fewer have been piloted on public sidewalks. Furthermore, there have been few observational studies of robots and their interactions with pedestrians. To better understand how sidewalk robots might integrate into public spaces, the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania conducted a pilot of sidewalk delivery robots to understand possible uses and the challenges that could arise in interacting with people in the city. Our team conducted ethnographic observations and intercept interviews to understand how residents perceived of and interacted with sidewalk delivery robots over the course of the public pilot. We found that people with limited knowledge about the robots crafted stories about their purpose and function. We observed the robots causing distractions and obstructions with different sidewalk users (including children and dogs), witnessed people helping immobilized robots, and learned about potential accessibility issues that the robots may pose. Based on our findings, we contribute a set of recommendations for future pilots, as well as questions to guide future design for robots in public spaces.

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References 37 · Cited by 53

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Metadata

Authors
Weinberg, D., Dwyer, H., Fox, S. E., & Martelaro, N.
Affiliations
Carnegie Mellon University (US)
Corresponding author
Martelaro, Nikolas
ORCID
Venue
Multimodal Technologies and Interaction
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2023-05-17
Volume
7
Issue
5
Pages
53
ISSN
2414-4088 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/mti7050053
OpenAlex
W4381492689
Cited by
53
References
37
Citations by year
2026: 18 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 2
FWCI
13.11
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Multimodal Technologies and Interaction (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
National Science Foundation (2125350)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Social Robot Interaction and HRI
  • Social Sciences › Transportation › Urban and Freight Transport Logistics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Control and Systems Engineering › Robotics and Automated Systems
Keywords
last-mile delivery, human-robot interaction, public space, accessibility (transport and spatial geography), public perception of robots, children and dogs

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