In a tragic turn of events, Gumi City Council in South Korea reported on Wednesday that their first administrative robot officer became defunct after apparently falling down a staircase. Local media has dubbed the incident the country’s first robot suicide.
The robot, which had been in service since August 2023, was discovered unresponsive at the bottom of a two-meter (six-and-a-half foot) staircase.
Witnesses stated that the robot was seen “circling in one spot as if something was there” before the fall occurred. The exact cause of the fall is currently under investigation.
“Pieces have been collected and will be analyzed by the company,” a city council official told AFP. The robot had been tasked 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 said, highlighting the robot’s diligent work ethic.
READ ALSO: North Korea Launches Trash Balloons With Human Waste Into South Korea (PHOTOS)
Local headlines questioned the incident, asking, “Why did the diligent civil officer do it?” and “Was work too hard” for the robot?
The robot was manufactured by Bear Robotics, a Californian robot-waiter startup, and operated from 9 am to 6 pm. Unlike typical robots, this one could call an elevator and move between floors independently. It also had its own civil service officer card.
South Korea is known for its high robot density, with one industrial robot for every 10 employees, according to the International Federation of Robotics.
At present, Gumi City Council has no plans to adopt a second robot officer.
