Personal Delivery Devices (PDDs), also known as delivery robots, are ground delivery robots that are remotely operated, self-driving, or both. Under Pennsylvania law, PDDs:

• Are defined as pedestrians,

• Can weigh up to 550 pounds empty, and

• Can operate at speeds up to 12 miles per hour on sidewalks.

• Are permitted to operate in any pedestrian area (ie sidewalk) or on a roadway with a posted speed limit of 25mph or less

Pennsylvania law prohibits local authorities from regulating the operation of PDDs. This means PennDOT has the sole authority to authorize a company to operate PDDs and regulate the time, place, and manner in which the PDDs operate.

PDDs may operate in two phases. In Phase 1 deployments, a PDD operator must be within 30’ of the PDD. In Phase 2 deployments, the PDD may be monitored remotely.

Learn more at: penndot.gov/pdd

DENSO has received approval from PennDOT for a limited Phase 1 deployment. DENSO will be operating a PDD device on the sidewalks of Penn Ave in the Strip District on select days over an approximate two-week period in October 2025.

Data is being collected using lidar and camera technology. The purpose of this deployment is for a private research project between CMU and DENSO. Data will not be used for commercial purposes or publicly, only for research purposes. DENSO’s full privacy policy can be found here - https://www.denso.com/us-ca/en/privacy-policy/