A municipality in central South Korea has announced an investigation following a robot used for municipal tasks throwing itself down the stairs in this robot-enthusiastic country. A municipal team official explained that this robot had been assisting the residents of Gumi city with administrative tasks for about a year. It was found last week in a state of inactivity at the bottom of the stairs.
The official added that witnesses saw the robot, just before its fall, "spinning around as if something was wrong with it," indicating that the investigation is ongoing to determine the circumstances of the incident. "Parts of the robot have been collected and will undergo analysis" by the company that designed it.
Another official expressed regret, stating, "It was officially a part of the city's municipality and was one of us." The robot, developed by Bear Robotics in California, operated from 9 AM to 6 PM and had its own public service card. Unlike other robots confined to a single level, it could call the elevator and move from one floor to another. Local newspapers covered the incident, with one asking on the front page, "Why did this diligent public servant act this way?" or whether "the work was too hard for the robot."
South Korea is known for its enthusiasm for robots, boasting the highest density of robots in the world, with one robot for every ten employees, according to the International Federation of Robotics.