Passerby spots awkward 'stand-off' between two automated delivery robots

Ever experienced that awkward dance trying to pass someone, and you keep ending up going the same way?

In a quirky incident in Cambridge, the clash of two automated delivery machines mirrors the familiar situation of awkwardness.

Shared by James Harman, a 20-year-old student paramedic, the comical impasse shows the rise of robots in urban settings, and the funny characteristics they bring with them.

'I was initially taking the photo for my parents but then I saw the two like that and found it funny,' Harman said.

Two delivery bots were caught in a comical encounter / James Harman / Facebook

The Co-op delivery machines appeared to have gotten 'confused about whether to go right or left to leave room.'

Harman shared a photograph of the two robots in the 'stalemate' on Facebook where more than 1,400 people reacted.

One individual replied: 'Are they repeating variations on 'Please, you go first'. 'No, I insist, you were first, go ahead'?'

Another social media user responded: 'They always make me smile when I see them patiently waiting to cross the road.'

'Seen situation like this before. It turns into a very balletic dance,' said another.

The scene adds a nice humorous touch to the ongoing concerns around technology replacing human tasks, showing the lighter and more relatable side of AI.

The delivery robots in the picture are being used in a trial scheme by owners Starship Technologies in partnership with the Co-op, with permission from Cambridgeshire County Council.

The two bots are part of a food delivery trail scheme from Co-op / Christopher Furlong / Staff / Getty

They were given the thumbs up in 2022, with the first food trips taking place in the following November.

A spokesman for Starship said: 'When robots encounter each other, observers often think they are being extra polite in a very British way, inviting the other to move first.

'In reality, the procedure on a crossing is for the robot on the island to reverse or move aside to allow the robot crossing to advance. Then, once it is safe to proceed, both robots continue on their journeys.

'Starship robots are also fast learners, using artificial intelligence to safely cross 150,000 roads every day around the world - that's roughly three crossings every second.'

This isn't the first encounter that's caused amusement among the public, as the delivery bots have previously been observed patiently queueing at a set of traffic lights.

Alongside this, two or three delivery robots had to be escorted across the road away from a burning building last September as they were interrupting the firefighters on the scene.