South Korea Government Robot Dead; Local Press Speculate It Committed Suicide

Gumi City Council in South Korea announced on Wednesday that its first administrative officer robot was found unresponsive after it apparently fell down a staircase in an incident that has prompted local press to speculate about the possibility of a “robot suicide.”The robot was discovered at the bottom of a six-and-a-half foot staircase last week, according to the city council. Witnesses reported seeing the robot “circling in one spot” before the fall, but the exact cause of the incident is still under investigation, Agence France Presse reports.“Pieces have been collected and will be analyzed by the company,” a city council official told the AFP. The official added that the robot had been an integral part of the city’s administrative duties, assisting with daily document deliveries, city promotion, and providing information to residents.“It was officially a part of the city hall, one of us,” another official said. “It worked diligently.” Yet with its demise, the Gumi City Council currently has no plans to adopt a second robot officer.Local headlines have raised questions about the nature of the accident, with some pondering whether the robot experienced “work stress” and may have taken its own life.The robot, created by Bear Robotics, a California startup known for its robot waiters, was appointed in August 2023. It operated from 9 am to 6 pm and had its own civil service officer card.Unlike many robots that can only operate on a single floor, this robot was capable of calling an elevator and moving between floors independently.South Korea is known for its high adoption of robotic technology. According to the International Federation of Robotics, the country has the highest robot density in the world, with one industrial robot for every ten employees.

South Korea Government Robot Dead; Local Press Speculate It Committed Suicide

South Korea Government Robot Dead; Local Press Speculate It Committed Suicide

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