The United Kingdom is currently reviewing the legal status of autonomous delivery robots to help them integrate more effectively into city pedestrian areas.

英國目前正在審視自動配送機器人的法律地位，以幫助它們更有效地融入城市行人區域。

Six-wheeled autonomous vehicles, created by the San Francisco company Starship Technologies, have moved from small trials in Milton Keynes to larger operations in cities like Bristol, Leeds, and Sheffield. These robots use a combination of artificial intelligence, radar, and sensors to move along sidewalks. While many users say the service is very helpful for people with limited mobility or parents with children, some problems have occurred. For example, software failures have caused robots to stop moving, and some units have been damaged by vandals.

由舊金山 Starship Technologies 公司研發的六輪自動駕駛車，已從米爾頓凱恩斯的小規模試驗，擴展到布里斯托、利茲和謝菲爾德等城市的大規模運作。這些機器人結合了人工智慧、雷達和感測器在人行道上移動。雖然許多用戶表示該服務對於行動不便者或帶著孩子的家長非常有幫助，但仍出現了一些問題。例如，軟體故障導致機器人停止移動，部分設備則遭到蓄意破壞。

From a legal point of view, these robots currently operate in a grey area because the Highways Act of 1835 forbids 'carriages' on footpaths. Consequently, the Department for Transport is considering a change in the law to group delivery robots with electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters. This change would provide the legal certainty that Starship Technologies needs to potentially introduce 10,000 units and build factories within the UK.

從法律角度來看，這些機器人目前處於灰色地帶，因為 1835 年的《公路法》禁止在人行道上行駛「馬車」。因此，交通部正考慮修改法律，將配送機器人歸類為電動輪椅和電動代步車。此舉將提供法律確定性，使 Starship Technologies 能夠在英國引入 10,000 台設備並建立工廠。

However, some organizations, such as Living Streets, have expressed strong opposition. These groups emphasize that too many robots could increase pavement congestion and create dangerous obstacles for visually impaired people and wheelchair users. They point to reports of robots blocking ramps, which led to a suspended trial at the University of Pittsburgh. Although Starship Technologies asserts that their robots are programmed to give way to mobility devices and can be controlled by humans remotely, critics argue that commercial profit should not come at the expense of public accessibility.

然而，一些組織（如 Living Streets）表示強烈反對。這些團體強調，過多的機器人可能會增加人行道的擁擠程度，並為視障人士和輪椅使用者製造危險障礙。他們指出有報告顯示機器人阻塞了坡道，導致匹茲堡大學的試驗被暫停。儘管 Starship Technologies 聲稱其機器人已設定為禮讓行動輔助設備且可由人工遠端控制，但批評者認為商業利潤不應以犧牲公共無障礙空間為代價。

The British government plans to update the law after a public consultation to ensure a balance between technological progress and pedestrian safety.

英國政府計劃在公眾諮詢後更新法律，以確保科技進步與行人安全之間取得平衡。