Starship issues new statement after reviewing footage of viral incident on Forbes crosswalk – The Pitt News

Starship issues new statement after reviewing footage of viral incident on Forbes crosswalk

Thomas Yang | Assistant Visual Editor

Starship’s food delivery robots have been criticized for creating difficulties at crosswalks for wheelchair-using students.

By Emily Wolfe, News Editor
October 22, 2019

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Starship Technologies, which halted testing Monday at Pitt of its food delivery robots after a wheelchair-using student reported a safety concern, issued an updated statement Tuesday night after reviewing video of the reported incident.

Emily Ackerman, a fifth-year engineering doctoral student, posted a Twitter thread Monday afternoon describing a “major safety and accessibility issue” posed by the robots. Ackerman wrote that the robots rest in the curb ramp while they wait to cross the street, creating difficulties for wheelchair users like herself who need to use the curb ramp to reach the sidewalk. Ackerman made the thread because she had been “trapped” by one of the robots on Forbes Avenue earlier in the day, she said.

The thread quickly gained attention, and Pitt and Starship paused testing of the robots to “review the technology and ensure everyone’s safety,” as Pitt told Ackerman on Twitter. Starship sent The Pitt News a statement Tuesday morning [...]

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