Poor Ahmed.
Credit: Jesse Scott
If you’ve driven down Broward Boulevard lately between Avenue of the Arts and Andrews Avenue, you may have noticed something strange: Fort Lauderdale’s fleet of delivery robots appears to have chosen this stretch of downtown as its preferred spot to loiter, spin in circles and possibly contemplate all of humanity’s downfall.
At nearly any given moment, there’s at least one little cooler-on-wheels awkwardly parked on or near the sidewalk. Sometimes there are three. Occasionally, they appear to be traveling together like a tiny robotic wolf pack that just discovered South Florida brunch culture.
Recent observed participants in this increasingly bizarre meetup included robots named Ahmed, Kristin, Orpheus, Ritesh and Paolo — all blinking patiently in the heat while seemingly accomplishing absolutely nothing.
Sure, the robots have become a normal sight around Downtown Fort Lauderdale as food delivery tech continues expanding. You’ll see them crossing streets, waiting at intersections and carefully rolling meals toward apartment towers. But this specific Broward Boulevard congregation has started to feel… organized.
Are they waiting for orders? Recharging spiritually? Plotting against cyclists? Nobody knows. Browardist tried to interview several of the robots on the spot, but they all, in unison, stayed silent.
And honestly, the bigger question may be what’s happening inside those compartments while the robots sit motionless or tweaking out for 20 minutes at a time. Somewhere in Fort Lauderdale, there’s probably a soggy order of enchiladas, a melted acai bowl or an avocado toast slowly reaching room temperature while Paolo spins in circles or Ritesh has his wheel stuck in some mud by a curb.
Even pedestrians seem unsure how to react anymore. Some laugh. Some stop to take photos (Browardist did, obviously). Others walk around them with the same caution usually reserved for frozen iguanas.
For now, Broward Boulevard remains a ground zero for Fort Lauderdale’s weirdest unofficial gathering — one where nobody talks, nobody moves quickly and everybody runs on batteries.
