A disabled man captured the moment a food delivery robot recklessly cut him off and allegedly ‘reversed’ into his scooter.
Mark Chaney, who has cerebral palsy, was on his way home from a procedure when a Serve Robotics cart crashed into his mobility scooter, which he occasionally uses for long distances.
The viral video – which received over 20million views on TikTok and Instagram – shows the robot weaving in front of him. Chaney tried to avoid the service cart, but it stopped and slammed into his scooter.
‘I was really frustrated because I was in a lot of pain that day,’ Chaney told KTLA, adding that he ‘just wanted to get home.’
The video showed a distressed Chaney attempting to give the delivery bot room to pass, but it slammed on its brakes, causing the crash.
He repeatedly screamed ‘seriously’ as he zigzagged on the sidewalk to avoid the self-driving robot’s jolting impact.
Despite the video, Serve Robotics disputed Chaney’s claim in an email response, leaving him frustrated.
Mark Chaney tried to avoid the robot service cart twice, but it stopped and slammed into his scooter
Mark Chaney, who has cerebral palsy, was on his way home from a procedure when a Serve Robotics cart crashed into his mobility scooter
The company wrote the robot ‘did not drive in reverse at any point’ and was operating autonomously, according to KTLA.
They added that the robot was simultaneously attempting to adjust it’s path as Chaney was.
‘Ultimately, as you got closer to the robot, it determined that the safest option was to come to a complete stop.’
They compared it to ‘two people approaching a doorway and hesitating to pass one another. ‘
‘It’s the challenge of predicting someone else’s movements in real time without direct communication,’ a Serve representative stated.
Chaney felt brushed off by the response, adding that it seemed like the company was blaming him and not taking accountability.
Chaney has had multiple negative encounters with delivery robots before. He even stepped into a street, with crutches, to avoid one.
The video showed a distressed Chaney attempting to give the delivery bot room to pass, but it slammed on its brakes, causing the crash
Despite the video, Serve Robotics disputed Chaney’s claim in an email response, leaving him frustrated
He said if he were on crutches, he would have fallen, leading to weeks of recovery.
Serve also told Chaney they are launching an Accessibility Council to help improve the robot’s safety system.
Chaney stressed that the company needs to include people with disabilities when designing their system.
The Daily Mail reached out to Serve Robotics for comment.
