Retired Penn professor arrested for blocking Uber Eats robot

The arrest took place on October 14 around 1:16 p.m. on the 1200 block of Filbert Street. Officers found Marvin blocking an Avride robot operating for Uber Eats. She ignored multiple commands to step aside so the machine could complete its delivery, and she received a criminal violation notice. Marvin, 78, framed the obstruction as constitutionally protected expression and plans to contest the charge. Uber Eats launched robot deliveries in Center City in March with Avride. Marvin has been blocking Uber Eats robots on delivery runs for months. She had confronted robots previously, including a September incident on Broad Street that circulated on social media. Philadelphia is one of nearly a dozen cities where some Uber Eats orders are handled by delivery robots. Other robots have caused problems elsewhere, including one that damaged a bus stop in Chicago. For founders building sidewalk robots, the case shows that street-level pushback can become an operating constraint even where state rules are clear. Under Pennsylvania's personal-delivery-device framework, the robots are required to yield to pedestrians. Avride received authorisation for Phase 2 operations in Philadelphia on September 23, 2026, which permits remotely monitored operation with human operators able to intervene when necessary. Public-space friction and labor backlash belong in deployment planning, not only in the legal review.