- German police investigate robot’s alleged harassment of teenage girl.
- Robot owner, companion filmed; police seized robot, phones.
- Police consider incident
German authorities have launched an investigation into possible sexual harassment incident after a humanoid robot allegedly groped a 16-year-old girl and made thrusting movements towards her in the western city of Cologne, police said.
The alleged incident took place overnight from Saturday to Sunday. The robot’s suspected 16-year-old owner and his 19-year-old companion allegedly filmed the incident, livestreamed it and provided commentary online, Associated Press reported.
Cologne police spokesperson Christoph Bermel said the two young men had not been charged but were being treated as suspects. Investigators are examining whether the robot’s movements were preprogrammed or controlled remotely in real time.
Police said they had not encountered a similar case before. “We have not been aware of this phenomenon so far,” Bermel told Associated Press, describing the incident as “new territory for us”.
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Robot, Mobile Phones Seized During Investigation
Emergency teams dispatched to the scene near a fast-food restaurant found the robot in the trunk of a vehicle, Cologne police said in a statement on Monday.
Authorities confiscated the red-and-gold robot and the mobile phones belonging to the two young men as part of the investigation, AP reported.
North Rhine-Westphalia Police Cologne also posted an image of the robot on Facebook. The red-and-gold machine, reportedly measuring 120 centimetres (about 3 feet 11 inches) in height, was pictured lying on the ground.
The robot was dressed in a white tank top and black sweatpants, and wore a gold chain, sunglasses and what appeared to be a fake moustache.
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Videos Show Robot Approaching Women On Street
Videos circulating online show two young men escorting the robot towards a group of women on a busy street at night. The robot appears to bump into one woman and hug others.
In the footage, one of the men repeatedly shouts at the robot and pulls it backwards after it makes sexual gestures, prompting laughter among people nearby.
Police also addressed reactions to the incident on their Facebook account on Tuesday, criticising inappropriate comments and warning that sharing or joking about such incidents could worsen the impact on a victim.
The investigation is continuing, with authorities examining how the robot was operated during the alleged incident.
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