These days, moles and gophers aren’t the only pests you have to worry about tearing up your yard. You also have to watch for Cocos — pink, four-wheeled delivery robots currently metastasizing across cities throughout the US.

East Hollywood resident Kaiya Reel learned this the hard way. According to local news station KTLA, Reel was first alerted to the presence of something in her garden by a loud ruckus. When she came out to investigate, she was surprised to discover a Coco delivery robot struggling to free itself from her fence.

“I came out here and I found the Coco in my garden,” she told KTLA. “It had got my fence caught up in its wheel. It uprooted a whole bunch of [plants] in my garden and then just drove away with the fence attached to it.”

The delivery robots have caused a number of problems wherever they’ve been deployed. In Chicago, the little fellas irked residents so bad that they’ve been functionally banned from certain sections of the city. In East Hollywood, KTLA reports that a Coco robot was caught charging headlong into an ambulance, while delivery bots from other companies have blocked mobility scooters and knocked over motorcycles.

“I think the part that worries me is that these companies can come in and dump their technology in our community and there’s no sense of accountability,” Reel told the station. “It just feels like an accident waiting to happen.”

Starship Technologiesin laatikkomainen robotti ajelee katua alas kuin tilauksesta juuri, kun soitamme summeria yhtiön konttorin ovella Tallinnassa. Robotti on suorittamassa testiajoa, sillä Suomessa Alepa-robottinakin tunnettua kuljetuslaitetta kehitetään kaiken aikaa.

Ruokarobotit muistuttavat liikenneturvallisuuden merkityksestä koulujen alkaessa Valppain mielin -tempauksella. Starship Technologyn kuljetusrobottimme ovat valloittaneet jo aiemmin lasten sydämet: roboista pidetään ja niitä myös autetaan, kun ne välillä joutuvat kiipeliin.