In the most astonishing of news, a South Korean civil servant robot apparently "committed suicide" after officials said it threw itself down a flight of stairs due to unexplained reasons. The Gumi City Council said the robot was defunct after it fell down a two-metre staircase and was found smashed up lying in the stairwell between the first and second floors of the building, according to The Daily Mail.
Locals in the South Korean city are now mourning what is known as the first robot suicide. Witnesses say the robot was circulating in one spot as if 'something were there' before the puzzling incident, but the exact cause of the fall is being probed. "Pieces have been collected and will be analysed by the company,' the official said.
As per the report, the robot was responsible for helping with daily document deliveries, city promotion and delivering information to local residents. "It was officially a part of the city hall, one of us," said an official from the Gumi City Council, adding that the robot served 'diligently'. It was the first robot to be used in this manner and was appointed in October 2023.
People online are now speculating whether the work load was too much for the robot to handle. "If the workload had been too much, would he have spun around for a long time and then rushed down the stairs?" said one individual after the incident made headlines in local media, while another said, "I pray that scrap metal rests in peace." "No breaks, no vacations, no benefits. Robots need a union," said another netizen on X.
The robotic assistant was manufactured by a California-based startup called Bear Robotics and had its own employee card, working from 9 am to 4 pm. Unlike other robots, which can typically only use one floor, the Gumi City Council robot could call an elevator and move floors on its own. As of reports, there are no plans to adopt a new robot as of now. South Korea is widely reputed for using robots in various professions.
Earlier, a security robot - lovingly called Steve - reportedly committed suicide by drowning itself in a water fountain in Washington DC. However, it was later found that the accident was caused by skidding on a "loose brick surface", which led to the robot tumbling and falling four stories into the fountain.
ALSO READ | 'Travelling light': Video of colourful boxers on Delhi airport's conveyor belt goes viral | WATCH
ALSO READ | 8-feet crocodile spotted roaming Maharashtra streets amid heavy rainfall | WATCH
