Dramatic footage captured the moment Philadelphia police escorted away a 78-year-old woman who had positioned herself in front of a futuristic food delivery robot, preventing it from reaching its destination.
Carolyn Marvin was arrested at about 1:16 p.m. Wednesday after allegedly blocking an Uber Eats robot in the 1200 block of Filbert Street, according to the Philly Voice.
The confrontation unfolded near Reading Terminal Market, one of Philadelphia’s best-known landmarks. Video showed Marvin standing directly in the robot’s path before at least three officers removed her from the area.
Marvin, a professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, told the outlet that police approached her after she had remained in place for “quite a long time.”
She said she repeatedly declined officers’ instructions to move aside and was ultimately taken into custody on a disorderly conduct allegation.
Marvin described the incident as a protest against autonomous delivery machines, which are becoming more common across the United States.
“I know they’re taking the jobs of human delivery workers and so, I have been protesting them whenever I saw them by standing in front of them and preventing them from going forward,” Marvin told WPVI.
She added: “I think it’s my First Amendment right to publicly demonstrate on a sidewalk to protest against delivery robots.”
Carolyn Marvin, 78, was arrested at about 1:16 p.m. Wednesday in Philadelphia after allegedly blocking an Uber Eats delivery robot from reaching its destination
The University of Pennsylvania professor emeritus said she was protesting because the machines were “taking the jobs of human delivery workers”
The Philadelphia Police Department told the Daily Mail on Saturday that Marvin received a criminal violation notice.
Although she said she had never previously been stopped by police, Marvin’s encounters with delivery robots have already drawn attention online and across the city.
Ashley Baldwin, who lives in West Philadelphia, witnessed one of those earlier confrontations and initially feared Marvin had been injured.
“I actually thought the robot hit her, so my original question was, ‘Are you okay? Did the robot hit you?’” Baldwin told the outlet.
Marvin reportedly replied: “No, I have to stop this. They’re taking over the world.”
On Wednesday, Marvin had been returning from a flu-shot appointment when she allegedly stepped in front of the Uber Eats robot.
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She said the incidents also give her an opportunity to speak with curious passersby about the growing use of automated delivery technology.
“It’s always very interesting conversations that we have, and I think it’s good to have those kinds of conversations in public space,” Marvin told the Philly Voice.
Even after her arrest and the notice issued by police, Marvin said she intended to continue protesting the food delivery robots.
Marvin said her arrest would not stop her from protesting the food delivery robots
The Uber Eats delivery robots, which are operated through Avride, arrived to Philadelphia in March
Marvin explained that public opinion on what she did was ‘divided,’ with some believing that her actions were unfair to the customers who spent money on getting their food delivery.
To that, Marvin responds that people should be concerned about robot couriers taking human jobs.
There is concern that’s exactly what could happen as food delivery robots become more widely used and effectively mean lower labor costs.
An estimated 5,000 robot couriers currently operate in the US, tech analyst Dan Ives told The New York Times.
The Uber Eats robots, which are operated through Avride, debuted in Philadelphia this March and were touted as ‘the future of delivery.’
As a whole, the couriers operate in at least 10 metropolitan areas, including Los Angeles and Miami, through partnerships with platforms like Uber Eats or DoorDash.
Over the next three years, the number of robots is expected to reach 8,000, according to Ives.
Some analysts have predicted the delivery robots industry in the US to eventually generate more than $5 billion.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Marvin for further comment.