Dystopian moment Philadelphia woman is arrested for blocking delivery robot from completing its task

A 78-year-old Philadelphia woman, Carolyn Marvin, was arrested after standing in front of an Uber Eats delivery robot and refusing police instructions to move. She says she was protesting the spread of robot couriers, which she believes threaten human delivery workers’ jobs, and argues that demonstrating on a public pavement is her right.

Police issued Marvin a criminal violation notice for disorderly conduct. She said she intends to continue protesting and uses the encounters to talk with passers-by. An estimated 5,000 delivery robots operate in the US, and one analyst expects that figure to reach 8,000 within three years; the robots have been operating in Philadelphia since March.