Commercial robot incidents, March 2026
12 commercial robot incidents dated March 2026 so far (provisional, verification backlog), 3 with a person hurt and 0 fatal. 0 cases were added to the register during the month. Most involved Waymo (7). Largest class: autonomous vehicles (6).
Provisional. 45 reports published in or just after this month are still in the verification queue, so the count will rise as they clear. A lower figure here means a slower queue, not fewer incidents.
Incidents are counted by the date they happened, 2026-03-01 to 2026-03-31. Counts measure what was reported in the press the register reads and cleared verification; fleet sizes are not public, so nothing here is a rate. The register holds 255 cases in all. Rules on the methodology page. Previous month: February 2026. Quarterly view: the quarterly record.
By kind of machine
- Autonomous vehicles6
- delivery4
- Humanoids1
- Service robots1
By company
- Waymo7
- Baidu1
- Serve Robotics1
By outcome
- no harm6
- minor injury3
- property damage3
The cases that reached furthest
Ordered by severity, then by how many independent sources the case rests on.
- 2026-03-25During a public robot dance show in Shaanxi, China, a humanoid robot performing a spinning routine swung its arm outward and struck a young boy standing near the stage.Report
- 2026-03-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with suv in Inglewood, CA, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-03-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with pickup truck in Austin, TX, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-03-17A service robot at what social media users claimed was a Haidilao hotpot restaurant in China malfunctioned, knocking plates off a counter and swinging its arms erratically while a staff member attempted to restrain it.Follow-up
- 2026-03-23A Serve Robotics food delivery robot crashed into and shattered the glass of a CTA bus shelter at Grand and Racine in Chicago's West Town neighborhood, with no injuries reported.Follow-up
All 12 incidents dated March 2026
Newest first. Each one links to its timeline and to the sources it rests on. Case metadata is CC BY 4.0; cite the register by its DOI, 10.5281/zenodo.22925531.
- 2026-03-31Uber Eats delivery robots were vandalised in a Sheffield suburbReport
- 2026-03-31A system malfunction caused multiple Baidu Apollo Go driverless robotaxis to stall in the middle of roads in Wuhan, leaving passengers stranded for hours, with police confirming the incident after receiving numerous calls on Tuesday night.Follow-up
- 2026-03-25During a public robot dance show in Shaanxi, China, a humanoid robot performing a spinning routine swung its arm outward and struck a young boy standing near the stage.Report
- 2026-03-25A Waymo robotaxi stalled during a wildfire near I-280 and was moved to safety by the California Highway Patrol.Report
- 2026-03-23A Serve Robotics food delivery robot crashed into and shattered the glass of a CTA bus shelter at Grand and Racine in Chicago's West Town neighborhood, with no injuries reported.Follow-up
- 2026-03-17Reporter trapped inside a self-driving robotaxi during an anti-robot protest attack on the vehicle.Report
- 2026-03-17A service robot at what social media users claimed was a Haidilao hotpot restaurant in China malfunctioned, knocking plates off a counter and swinging its arms erratically while a staff member attempted to restrain it.Follow-up
- 2026-03-11An unoccupied Waymo robotaxi stopped between a railroad crossing arm and the tracks in Texas, remaining stationary as a train passed within inches of the vehicle.Report
- 2026-03-02A Waymo driverless vehicle blocked a road for more than a minute near an active mass shooting scene in Austin, causing an ambulance to turn around, though Austin-Travis County EMS said it did not believe the obstruction had an impact on patient outcomes.Regulator action
- 2026-03-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with suv in Inglewood, CA, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-03-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with pickup truck in Austin, TX, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-03-01A Waymo robotaxi became stuck perpendicular across a road while executing a U-turn during an active shooter incident in Austin, Texas, blocking an ambulance and requiring a police officer to manually drive it away.Follow-up
The next roundup, and every case before it, by email
Every case added to the register in the last seven days, with its sources. Free, no account, and the register is the only sender.