On Wednesday, the Gumi City Council in South Korea announced that their first administrative officer robot was found unresponsive after apparently throwing itself down a staircase.
Local media have described the incident as the country’s first robot suicide.
The robot was discovered at the bottom of a two-meter (six-and-a-half-foot) staircase last week. Witnesses reported seeing the robot “circling in one spot” before the fall, though the exact cause of the accident is still under investigation, according to a city council official.
“Pieces of the robot have been collected and will be analyzed by the manufacturer,” the official said.
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The robot, which assisted with daily document deliveries, and city promotion, and provided information to residents, was an integral part of the city hall team. “It was officially one of us,” another official remarked, emphasizing the robot’s diligent work.
Local media headlines questioned the circumstances of the incident, with some asking, “Why did the diligent civil officer do it?” and “Was the work too hard for the robot?”
The robot, made by Bear Robotics, a Californian startup specializing in robot waiters, was appointed in August 2023.
It worked from 9 am to 6 pm and even had its civil service officer card. Unlike typical robots confined to a single floor, this robot could call elevators and move between floors independently.
South Korea is renowned for its extensive use of robots, boasting the highest robot density in the world with one industrial robot for every 10 employees, according to the International Federation of Robotics.
Despite the incident, Gumi City Council currently has no plans to adopt a second robot officer, as reported to AFP.
AFP
