Four US states already legalized delivery robots, but their laws might leave companies out
80 lbs
In late June, Florida passed legislation that legalizes autonomous delivery robots. Their weight is limited to 80 lbs (36 kg).
Published | Photo by Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay
Florida is the fourth US state to pass such laws, after Virginia, Idaho, and Wisconsin.
The weight limits benefit robot-delivery startup Starship, which helped write the legislation, and harm its competitor Marble.
While Starship’s robots weigh some 45 lbs, Marble’s robots weigh more than 80 lbs—more than what it allowed by the new laws.
Starship helped draft the rules in those four states, but it denied to Recode that it tried to keep competitors out.
