Robots have been seen lining up politely at a pedestrian crossing before asking a passer-by to press the button to change the light to green for them. The Starship robots were spotted forming the "sweet and British" queue following their roll-out in UK cities, where they have begun delivering groceries.
Artist Naomi Davies saw seven of the robots queueing up last week in Cambridge while cycling home. "I was cycling back and there was this ridiculous queue," she said. "It looked so sweet and British. They were being so cautious crossing the road.
"I hung around to see if they would, but it took three light changes for one of them to cross so I got cold and went home. I even heard one of them ask a lady passing to press the button for them."
A spokesperson for Starship said: "The robots make more than 140,000 road crossings every day around the world, nearly one every three seconds. They use a combination of sensors, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to safely navigate.
"Most of these crossings are done autonomously, but on the rare occasion assistance is required, the robots can be monitored remotely. It’s also true that every now and then the robots are not shy in asking a friendly resident for help if they can’t quite reach the button, particularly in a new area they’ve recently started mapping.
"Although in some locations around the world now the robots can automatically 'talk' to the traffic light, eliminating the need to press the button. But they’re also very happy to wait in a queue - they are in England after all."
People in Cambridge have been documenting the robots' activities on social media. Huilin Shanghai filmed a robot struggling to get up a kerb, taking an extra large 'step' backwards in order to access the footpath as she willed it on.
"Despite all the technology, there is nothing like a little encouragement," Huilin wrote in a post. Meanwhile another film shows children dancing as the robot 'sings' for them.
Naomi, a pen and watercolour artist, has begun creating paintings of the robots to sell at markets and online. "I like painting quirky things and after seeing all the attention my post got, it was a no-brainer," she said.
