The question isn’t whether public-area mobile robots (PMRs), will play a role in municipal operations and urban mobility systems—they almost certainly will. The question is how your city can approach this technology thoughtfully, avoiding common pitfalls while positioning yourself for meaningful, scalable implementation.

Did your city experience a smooth or a chaotic deployment of escooters and electric bikes? Do you have a plan for how your city can be better prepared for robots in public spaces?

Mobile robots moving among pedestrians—such as sidewalk delivery robots—often exhibit jerky, unpredictable movement patterns that make them appear shortsighted - or myopic. Read on for more on this topic...

Is the Magna last-mile delivery robot delivering food more like a Starship robot delivering food or more like a Waymo robotaxi delivering a human? Here's what makes roadway delivery robots different from sidewalk delivery robots, and why the safety challenges matter for every city considering this technology.

Navigating the journey from today's urban congestion and parking challenges to a hybrid future with AVs May 28, 2025 Most cities see that...

Urban curbside space has emerged as one of the most contested resources in modern cities. Today's curbs, primarily managed for parking, loading zones, and transit stops, are the focal point of a complex ecosystem of competing demands. The Pickup/Dropoff (PUDO) challenge—the need to efficiently coordinate vehicles temporarily stopping to load or unload passengers and goods—has evolved from a simple traffic activity into a critical urban management problem ...

Date Published: April 20, 2025 On April 15, 2025, the Urban Robotics Foundation hosted our 2025 Executive Update webinar. Our Managing...

PMRs represent an emerging technological development with potential to transform how we deliver healthcare services.

Let's examine some of the key regulatory challenges facing new mobility technologies in urban environments.

As cities move toward automated vehicle fleets, managing curb access for passenger and cargo pick-up and drop-off (PUDO) operations ...

As PMRs increasingly appear, municipal leaders face a pressing challenge: how to effectively regulate these new technologies...

Robotic crossing guards represent an important intersection of public safety, tech innovation, and social adaptation.

On January 29th, 2025, URF hosted a very popular webinar, sponsored by the Centre for Integrated Transportation and Mobility (...

PMRs present municipalities with compelling opportunities for operational efficiency, cost reduction, and service enhancement.

There is a critical shortage of research examining intersection safety implications and driver training needed prior to PMR deployment.