A 78-year-old retired university professor has been arrested in Philadelphia after repeatedly blocking an Uber Eats delivery robot, protesting what she believes is a threat to human delivery workers' jobs.
Carolyn Marvin, a former University of Pennsylvania academic, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly refusing repeated requests from police to move out of a delivery robot's path. The incident took place in the city's Center City neighbourhood, according to reports.
Marvin insists that her actions are a form of public protest and argues that she has a constitutional right to challenge the growing use of delivery robots on American streets.
Why She Is Targeting Delivery Robots
Avride delivery robots have been handling Uber Eats orders in parts of Philadelphia since March, after the company launched its autonomous delivery service in the city.
Marvin has repeatedly stood in front of the machines to prevent them from moving, saying she believes the technology threatens jobs held by human delivery workers.
'I know they're taking the jobs of human delivery workers and so, I have been protesting them whenever I saw them by standing in front of them and preventing them from going forward,' she told 6abc Action News.
The latest confrontation took place on Wednesday, 14 October, as Marvin was leaving a flu-shot appointment and spotted a delivery robot on a Center City pavement.
According to PhillyVoice, Marvin said she had been blocking the robots for months but could not remember how many times she had done so. Her previous encounters had circulated online, but Wednesday's incident was the first time police became involved.
Police said they responded to a report of 'criminal mischief involving a robot' on the 1200 block of Filbert Street at around 1:16pm. According to the police account, a woman at the scene ignored multiple commands to move.
Marvin was issued a criminal violation notice for disorderly conduct. Police said officers had asked her to step aside and allow the robot to complete its delivery.
Retired Academic Says Protest Is Her Constitutional Right
Marvin argues that her protest is protected by the First Amendment, which safeguards freedom of speech and assembly in the United States. Whether her specific actions fall within those protections is a separate legal question.
'I think it's my First Amendment right to publicly demonstrate on a sidewalk to protest against delivery robots,' she told 6abc Action News.
She added: 'I'm exercising the rights of my citizenship, so I think of it in those terms.'
The former professor, who taught a course on freedom of expression at the University of Pennsylvania, has said she intends to challenge the charge on First Amendment grounds.
Marvin says she sees the demonstrations as a form of civic engagement, rather than an extension of her former academic work. She also hopes the encounters will encourage people to discuss the impact of automation.
'It allows me to talk to people about what's going on,' she said. 'It's always very interesting conversations that we have, and I think it's good to have those kinds of conversations in public space.'
She has also said she takes care not to block the pavement for human pedestrians, according to PhillyVoice.
Social Media Reactions Are Divided
The incident has prompted contrasting reactions online, with some users supporting Marvin's campaign and others criticising her decision to obstruct the delivery robot.
The New York Post reported one supportive comment: 'Some heroines don't wear capes.' Another user took a more confrontational position, writing: 'Should have destroyed the robot.'
Others were less sympathetic. One critic wrote: 'Stopping it from bringing people they medicine is a crime!' Another dismissed Marvin as a 'Robotic Karen'.
The comments reflect differing reactions to Marvin's protest, but they do not establish the wider public's views on delivery robots or their effect on employment.
Professor Vows to Continue Her Protest
Marvin has said she intends to continue confronting delivery robots, despite her arrest.
Her case brings two issues into focus: concerns that automation could displace human delivery workers, and the limits of protest when it interferes with a commercial service.
The robots, developed by Avride, have been making Uber Eats deliveries in parts of Philadelphia since March. Marvin's campaign challenges their growing presence and raises questions about how communities respond as automated technology becomes part of everyday life.
