Starship Technologies pulls delivery robots from Sheffield streets following vandalism and threats
Starship Technologies has said its fleet of delivery robots will no longer operate in Sheffield. The company launched a pilot in the city in March, with the robots being used to deliver food for Uber Eats.
Ryan Case, Public Affairs and Communication Manager at Starship Technologies, says: “Our pilot in Sheffield has now come to an end, and we have paused the service while we review what we’ve learned. We’ll assess the results of the pilot before deciding on any future deployments of robots in the city. We regularly assess a number of areas across the UK, and Sheffield remains one of them.”
The move comes after a small number of the robots and their infrastructure were vandalised. This included the words ‘off our street’ being daubed across their tops and flags meant for increased visibility being snapped off. Traffic cones were also placed behind robots in an attempt to stop them moving.
Case adds: “There have been a small number of incidents of vandalism in Sheffield, which is disappointing, not least because it affects the local businesses that rely on the robots for deliveries. However, vandalism was not a factor in our decision to pause the service: this was a commercial decision and a natural conclusion to the pilot phase.”
The pilot highlights a key challenge facing autonomous delivery companies. The technology clearly works out in the wild. However, long-term deployments have to win over both customers and communities, whilst proving that the economics work.
See you in court
A woman in Arizona, USA is suing Starship Technologies, claiming that one of its robots knocked her to the ground, resulting in serious injuries, including a spinal fracture.
According to an Arizona State University (ASU) Police Department report, 73 year old Trudy Perez was working as an attendant at an ASU parking garage in 2023 when the robot ran into her. A police officer found her laying on the ground and complaining of lower back pain and with a four inch cut on her left arm. She stated that, after knocking her over, the robot started to leave and then tried to back into her again.
Perez’s case is set for a jury trial early next year. Vrana Law Firm, which represents Perez, said that their client has “lifelong impairment,” due to the injuries she sustained.
Under Arizona law, businesses running autonomous delivery devices must maintain minimum liability coverage of $100,000 per unit, enforce reasonable safety precautions for pedestrians and ensure a human operator actively monitors each device.
RTIH has reached out to Starship Technologies for comment and will update this article as soon as we hear back from the company. It has provided investigators with video footage recorded by the robot.
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Autonomous delivery will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
