Starship robot damages car, flees scene of crime

Occurred: February 2024

A Starship food delivery robot slid off a pavement in Helsinki, Finland, damaged a parked car and started to move away as if nothing had happened.

The Starship Technologies robot appeared to slip on a snowy pavement whilst making a delivery and bumped into a car, scratching it on two doors in the process. The bot was then lifted back onto the pavement by a passer-by, and it moved back on its route. 

The passer-by notified an emergency center about the "traffic accident," which passed the information to the police. 

Starship has been criticised for not proving clear information on how to report incidents.

Operator: S Group Finland/S-kaupat
Developer: Starship Technologies
Country: Finland
Sector: Transport/logistics
Purpose: Deliver groceries
Technology: Robotics; Machine learning; Neural networks
Issue: Ethics/values; Liability; Safety
Transparency: Governance