A set of dentures. A bag with the slogan "I Heart Hot Dads." A blue cap that reads "Emotional Support Human." A yellow-and-purple games console, a camera, a passport. This isn't a list from some strange shop - these are the things people left behind in Uber's robotaxi, and the company collected them in its annual lost-items index.

Behind the anecdote stands a bigger picture. Since Uber launched autonomous-vehicle rides in Austin in March 2025, the service has expanded to Atlanta, and the company plans to offer robotaxis in up to 15 cities around the world by the end of 2026. The goal is to be the world's largest broker for autonomous rides by 2029. The lost dentures are just a by-product of that expansion.

And here's the interesting detail: when there's no driver, who do you turn to for the forgotten passport? Uber says it's extending the same support infrastructure to autonomous vehicles too - operations teams, support teams, a hybrid network. For 15 dollars via Uber Courier, the item is returned the same day, or you pick it up in person from the autonomous-vehicle depot.

The picture, in the end, is sideways to how it looks: an industry that promised driverless rides is now building whole teams of people to return passengers' forgotten things. Technology removes the drivers, but not the chaos of the back seat. That, at least for now, remains deeply human.