•South Korea first robot
The South Korea Gumi City Council has explained how their first administrative officer robot committed suicide.
Today, the council said that the robot was found defunct after an apparent fall down a staircase, prompting local media to speculate about the country’s first case of robot suicide, reports AFP.
The incident occurred last week when the robot was discovered unresponsive at the bottom of a two-meter (six-and-a-half foot) staircase.
Witnesses reported seeing the robot “circling in one spot as if something was there” before the fall. The exact cause is still under investigation.
“Pieces have been collected and will be analyzed by the company,” the official said. The robot had been assisting with daily document deliveries, city promotion, and providing information to local residents.
“It was officially a part of the city hall, one of us,” another official stated. “It worked diligently.”
Local media headlines questioned the circumstances of the incident, with some asking, “Why did the diligent civil officer do it?” and “Was work too hard for the robot?”
Appointed in August 2023, the robot was one of the first in the city to perform such duties.
Made by Bear Robotics, a Californian startup known for their robot waiters, this particular robot worked from 9 am to 6 pm and had its own civil service officer card. Unlike many other robots, it could call an elevator and move between floors independently.
South Korea is renowned for its high adoption of robotics, boasting the highest robot density in the world with one industrial robot for every 10 employees, according to the International Federation of Robotics.
Currently, the Gumi City Council has no plans to adopt a second robot officer, as confirmed our correspondent.
