An Airbnb host is taking a San Francisco robotics startup to court, alleging their "robotic prototype testing" left his home in ruins. Sean Donovan filed a lawsuit on May 26 seeking more than $12,000 in damages from The Bot Company.
Donovan first suspected something was amiss when he spotted "bundles of wires" and a 6-foot-tall robot resembling a cross between a Roomba and Star Trek's Borg during the guests' stay. Over a two-week rental in April, more than 30 people came and went, with outdoor conversations caught on his Ring camera discussing shift changes.
The alleged damage includes paint and floor damage, a damaged kitchen doorframe, bent dishwasher rack poles, water damage, scratches on furniture and appliances, broken laser-cut art, and a damaged antique dining table. Cabinets and drawers were emptied and moved, and a shoe rack and shoes were missing from a locked closet-which Donovan's lawsuit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, calls "potentially a criminal matter."