Utah committee advances law to allow robots on sidewalks

SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that would modify Utah traffic code to allow delivery robots to roam sidewalks has advanced through the state House Transportation Committee.

The Deseret News reports that the committee on Wednesday unanimously voted in favor of modifying the traffic code. Such personal delivery robots fall under the legal definition of an automobile, so the bill aims at carving out a safe space in wording so the bots can operate.

The robot "generally has a range of about 3 miles, but most of the deliveries that they use with this is between a mile and a mile and a half," said Utah State Rep. Stewart Barlow, R-Fruit Heights, told the Utah House Transportation Committee, according to the Deseret News.

David Catania, head of public affairs for Starship Technologies, says a robot is designed to slow down or stop when it detects people. The robots, according to Starship's website, weigh no more than 50 pounds when they're empty. Deliveries can be ordered and tracked by customers using a mobile app, and the shipment takes 5 to 30 minutes to arrive.

Republican Rep. Stewart Barlow of Fruit Heights says the robots travel at about 4 mph. He says the bots operate entirely on sidewalks.

The bill will now go to the full House for further debate.