--- title: "Delivery Robot Damages Car, Flees Scene of Accident" description: "In what could possibly be a world first, a pedestrian in Finland's capital Helsinki caught a food delivery robot doing a hit-and-run." date: "2024-02-01" modified: "2024-02-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/delivery-robot-damages-car-flees-scene" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "delivery robots" - "finland" - "the digest" --- # Delivery Robot Damages Car, Flees Scene of Accident ![In what could possibly be a world first, a pedestrian in Finland's capital Helsinki caught a food delivery robot doing a hit-and-run.]() *\Image: Starship Technologies\* ## Hit-and-Roll In what could possibly be a world first, a pedestrian in Finland's capital Helsinki caught a food delivery robot perpetrating an apparent hit-and-run. The passerby, who was [interviewed by Finnish news outlet *Yle*](), saw an S Group food delivery robot as it slid off an ice and snow-covered sidewalk, damaging a car in the process. "Then it lurched back and forth against the side of the car, with the safety flag happily waving," the pedestrian recalled, scratching both doors. Instead of calling the authorities and admitting to scratching up somebody's vehicle, the six-wheeled robot took off and fled the scene as soon as the passerby placed it back onto the road. It's yet another instance of delivery robots causing mayhem on public streets, from [getting lost in the woods]() and being [implicated in bomb threats]() to [plowing through a crime scene](). ## Bot Free According to *Yle*, both of the car's doors were damaged. "I notified the emergency center about a 'traffic accident,' the good samaritan told the outlet. "The businesslike but amused emergency operator said he would notify the police. The police called, asked for identification and said that this incident was a career first." S Group Finland's food store chain S-kaupat [teamed up with Starship Technologies](), one of the biggest delivery robot companies, last year. Customers can access the service via a smartphone app. The company is now investigating the incident. Hopefully it'll catch the culprit and bring it to justice. **More on delivery robots:** *[University Warns of Bomb Threat Involving Delivery Robots]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()