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Chicago lawsuits challenge sidewalk robots’ use of cameras and sensors
Two Cook County lawsuits allege Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics captured customers’ face and hand measurements without consent and used or shared the data. Both companies deny the claims; the cases invoke Illinois’ biometric privacy law.
Two proposed class-action lawsuits filed Oct. 9 in Cook County accuse delivery-robot companies Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics of collecting biometric information from people in Chicago without their consent.
The complaints allege the companies’ sidewalk robots use cameras and LiDAR sensors to record three-dimensional measurements of customers’ faces and hands as they open the robots’ compartments to retrieve orders. The filings also claim the machines capture information about other people they encounter on city sidewalks.
The cases name two customers. Mitchell Breidinger says he received a Coco delivery ordered through DoorDash on Sept. 29, 2025. Barry Schain says he received three deliveries from Serve robots through Uber Eats, the most recent on Oct. 4, according to the lawsuits.
The complaints allege that the companies retained the data for artificial-intelligence training and shared it with outside parties. The Coco lawsuit specifically alleges data was shared with OpenAI. The Serve complaint says the company licenses video and LiDAR data to third parties to train their models.
Both companies dispute the allegations. Coco said it had not collected biometric data in Chicago or shared it with third parties. “This lawsuit fundamentally misunderstands our technology,” said Carl Hansen, the company’s head of government relations, adding that Coco was confident the case would be dismissed.
A Serve spokesperson said the company would defend itself and that its robots use cameras and sensors to navigate sidewalks safely. The spokesperson said Serve does not use the data to identify people and its systems are not designed to create biometric profiles.
Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act, passed in 2008, requires companies to give written notice explaining why they collect biometric identifiers—such as face or hand geometry—and how long they will keep them. Companies must obtain written consent and follow rules governing storage and disclosure.
The lawsuits seek damages of $1,000 for each alleged negligent violation or $5,000 for each alleged intentional or reckless violation, as well as court orders requiring compliance with the law and reimbursement of legal costs. The allegations have not been proven in court.