Airbnb host sues The Bot Company over alleged robot test damage

In short: An Airbnb host in San Francisco is suing a robotics startup, alleging the company used his home to test a robot and caused more than $12,000 in damage.

What happened

Sean Donovan filed a lawsuit on May 26, 2026, in San Francisco Superior Court. He is seeking more than $12,000 from The Bot Company, a Bay Area robotics startup.

Donovan says the company’s employees rented his home through Airbnb for about two weeks in April. He told SFGate he noticed signs that the guests were not using the place like a normal short-term stay, including “bundles of wires” around the house and a large robot he described as a 6-foot-tall “Roomba with treads” (like a robot vacuum, but much bigger and able to roll like a small tank).

The lawsuit claims the guests left extensive damage. Donovan alleges issues like paint and floor damage, a damaged kitchen doorframe, bent parts in the dishwasher racks, water damage, and scratches to furniture, including a dining room table described as an antique family heirloom. He also says cabinets and drawers were emptied and items were moved around, and that a shoe rack and a pair of shoes were missing from a locked closet.

Donovan also alleges the booking was misleading. The lawsuit says the defendants booked it as a short-term rental, rather than booking it for commercial use and filming.

Why it matters

Robots meant for homes still need a lot of testing. This case highlights what can go wrong if testing happens in real homes without clear permission, because the costs and risks can land on ordinary property owners.

Source: Arstechnica