Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Robot Street Vendor

Ice cream, coffee, bottled water, candy etc.
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Outfit one of those remote security guard robots to sell stuff. Have it call out "Ice cream! Get ya ice cream here! Fresh hot coffee! Brewed on the spot! Cold water, ice cold water!"

Plus you can both track it and call it on your phone app. Put these in crowded downtown business districts. I think they'd be busy all day.

Robo-Treats, Robo-Mart, Robo-Vend etc. Could be a thing.

Was thinking of just putting a regular vending machine on a robotic cart but that'd be too big and top heavy. This would have to be street safe. I read that every year vending machines that fall over kill more people than sharks, lightening strikes and car crashes combined.

doctorremulac3, Feb 17 2020

Just make this a vending machine. http://pixel.nymag....ot.w710.h473.2x.jpg
[doctorremulac3, Feb 17 2020]

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       // vending machines that fall over kill more people than sharks, lightening strikes and car crashes combined //   

       ... usually as the result of attempted robbery, so that's a good thing.   

       "Darwin's Law, working to reduce crime wherever there are stupid people".   

       The idea is pretty practical, if the robot inhabits a mall; it need only carry a very small stock of items, as it can quickly return to its dock to replenish.
8th of 7, Feb 17 2020
  

       I knew a person who was killed by a lighting-struck shark which attacked her car, causing it to crash. Its more common than you'd think   

       As to the idea, I'd buy a street from a robotic vendor
pocmloc, Feb 17 2020
  

       Could these things be configured to deliver ammunition ? Now, that would be seriously useful.   

       Shootout scenes in TV and movies would be much more interesting if the protagonists could summon ammo resupply via an app.... of course, then you'd have the problem that iPhones could only order a very limited range of largely incompatible stores.
8th of 7, Feb 17 2020
  

       Sure, ammo, drugs, you name it. Only limit is your imagination and local laws.
doctorremulac3, Feb 17 2020
  

       ... rat on a stick ?   

       With ketchup ?   

       Question: Would these droids be vendor-specific, or shared ? Shared makes more sense, economically, because of "back-loading".   

       Scenario:   

       You're sat on a bench at Battery Point and you order a McBurger. The nearest available droid to the nearest McBurger outlet makes its way there and is loaded with your order. It drives to you, continuously updating you with time-on-target. It arrives; you tap it with your phone, and it opens. You extract your food. That's the point at which you're actually charged for your purchase, altho there needs to be a contingency for "walking away". However there's no reason that you shouldn't wander along and have the droid catch you up.   

       Then the lid closes, and the droid flags itself as "available", moving at most economic speed towards the nearest vendor, or available charge point (probably combined). There it can pick up another delivery for a different vendor and client.   

       The unit cost of such a droid will be quite high so a way needs to be found to stop them being stolen. Alternatively, the perceived value of bicycle messengers could be written down to make them competitive with automation.
8th of 7, Feb 17 2020
  

       Ha, I imagined an out of date Asimo trying to sell bootleg electric car enhancement cards by the side of the road.
wjt, Feb 18 2020
  

       Make'em like Daleks, no-one* would dare mess with them, particularly if they moved around in packs, waving their sink plungers in a threatening way...   

       A multi-storey car park would be an ideal habitat for Daleks. They could even provide jump-starts to cars where the owners have left their lights on.   

       <Placeholder for cartoon of security guard connecting jump leads from car to opened lid of indignant Dalek/>   

       * Apart from a very small and select group of BBC actors.
8th of 7, Feb 19 2020
  

       what pocmloc said.   

       but what are those remote security guards?
pashute, Feb 20 2020
  

       I looked at doc m.u.lac's link and waiting for something to happen. Then realized its a static image.
pashute, Feb 20 2020
  

       No, it's just waiting ... and watching.
8th of 7, Feb 20 2020
  
      
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