Discussion
Can good design stop content creators from having sex in robotaxis?
Autonomous vehicle designers have to worry about riders getting frisky in public.
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/10/can-good-design-stop-content-creators-from-having-sex-in-robotaxis/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social
@arstechnica Inside every robotaxi companies:
Media relations: Our taxis are still a plague and the media is bashing us hard we need to fix them NOW!
Developers: Our next release in 3 months should fix some of the identified problems...
Legal: That's not even all, recently we've had a few incidents involving riders performing sexual acts, luckily it stayed under the radar so far.
Marketing: Well, maybe if we can shift the focus...
Media relations: Genius!
21st century problems.
@arstechnica as a content creator, I will never stop having sex in robotaxis
@arstechnica But why? Darken the windows. Who cares what people do in there?
If they leave a mess, charge them for the cleanup. Whether the mess is from sex, ketchup, or diarrhea.
@arstechnica I think this is a case of can vs should. Aside from posting a sign that says, "Don't commit sexual acts in here" or possibly asking them to sign an agreement not to, anything else runs into the creepy technology realm.
I am also way less worried about people copulating in a car than the dangers of software and hardware malfunction in a self driven vehicle that is not on a closed track, though.
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@arstechnica A mandatory five-point harness for all occupants before the vehicle moves would do the trick.
Add cameras and cleaning/sterilization/time out of service fees too.