Cities are exploring the use of fees from delivery robots to fund repairs and improvements to sidewalks. This approach is being considered as a way to address the growing presence of robots on sidewalks and the need for better infrastructure.

Sidewalk Robots and Accessibility

Companies like Coco Robotics and Robot.com are working with cities to track sidewalk issues and raise revenue. These companies are investing in tools and partnerships to make sidewalks more accessible for people with disabilities. For example, Coco recently announced a partnership with the GPS app BlindSquare to provide real-time navigation for people who are blind or low-vision.

Representatives from different cities have been meeting to discuss policies and regulations for sidewalk robots. Data-sharing requirements are a key topic, with cities seeking to use data from robots to identify and address accessibility issues. Some cities, like West Hollywood, are implementing programs to use fees from robots to improve sidewalks.

Revenue Sharing and Accessibility Improvements

West Hollywood’s program requires companies like Serve and Coco to share advertising revenue at a rate of $4 per device per day. The revenue generated from this program will go towards accessibility improvements, such as repairing sidewalks and installing curb ramps. Other cities, like Washington, D.C., are also exploring ways to use data from robots to improve sidewalks and make them more accessible.

The use of fees from delivery robots to fund sidewalk repairs is a new approach, and it remains to be seen how effective it will be. However, it is an example of how cities are working to address the challenges posed by the growing presence of robots on sidewalks and to find innovative solutions to improve infrastructure.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.