FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A food delivery robot was destroyed Friday after becoming stuck on railroad tracks as a Brightline train approached, leaving bystanders unable to intervene before the train struck it.
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Witnesses watched as the robot was crushed on impact, causing a temporary stop along the Brightline route.
“It’s scary,” said resident Audrey Foy. “I’m glad it’s just a robot, but it needs to be better managed.”
The incident highlights growing concerns as food delivery robots become more common across South Florida, including in Fort Lauderdale, Brickell, downtown Miami and Miami Beach.
Similar issues have been reported, such as robots getting stuck on curbs or obstructing sidewalks.
“I think sometimes these cameras where it’s self driving autonomous vehicles, they can’t really see the full picture of what’s going around,” resident Jonathan Woody said.
Despite mixed reactions, some residents acknowledge the convenience.
As the robots continue to roll into more neighborhoods, incidents like this raise questions about safety and oversight.
The company released the following statement after the crash:
“We’re aware of the incident in Miami where a Coco robot experienced a rare hardware failure while crossing railroad tracks. Safety is always our top priority, which is why our robots operate at pedestrian speeds, yield to people, and are monitored in real time by human safety pilots. Coco has been operating in Miami for over a year, traveling thousands of miles without major incidents, including crossing those same train tracks multiple times a day. This was an unfortunate and extremely rare occurrence. While all hardware can experience unexpected failures from time to time, in this case, we’re grateful it was a Coco robot and not a vehicle. We’re reviewing the situation carefully to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
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