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Becca Ostien records viral video of autonomous delivery robots forming a traffic jam on a Chicago sidewalk

Becca Ostien captured a video of more than a dozen autonomous delivery robots from the company Coco forming a traffic jam on a Chicago sidewalk. The incident occurred on a Monday morning along North Clark Street in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Ostien observed the robots flashing their lights and circling one another in confusion as they left their station to begin their daily routes. The company Coco stated that a sidewalk deployment error caused several robots to reroute simultaneously, resulting in a temporary cluster. The company noted that the robots were not designed to operate in this manner and that the issue was corrected within minutes. Coco has since resolved the routing behavior and added safeguards to prevent the recurrence of the issue. The incident highlights ongoing public feedback regarding the presence of delivery robots in Chicago. While some residents have expressed frustration over robots blocking pedestrian paths, the companies have defended the robots as a safer and more sustainable option for short-distance food deliveries.

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