On June 26, the Gumi City Council announced that their administrative staff robot stopped responding after tumbling down a 2-meter high staircase last week. A city council official informed AFP news agency that witnesses saw the robot “spinning in one place as if something was wrong” before the fall. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
“Parts of the robot have been collected and will be analyzed by the manufacturer,” the official stated.
Korean media have dubbed this the nation’s first “robot suicide,” pondering questions such as “Why would a diligent civil servant do this?” and “Is the job too demanding for a robot?”
The robot in question was manufactured by Bear Robotics, a California-based startup specializing in robotic waitstaff. It was “appointed” in August 2023 and was among the first robots to serve as city administrative staff. With working hours from 9 am to 4 pm, the robot even had its own employee card.
The robot assisted with daily tasks, including transporting documents, promoting the city, and providing information to local residents. “It is officially part of the city hall, a member of us. It has worked hard,” an official remarked.
Unlike other robots that typically operate on a single floor, the Gumi City Council’s robot could call the elevator and move between floors independently. Despite its capabilities, there are currently no plans to deploy a second administrative staff robot.
According to the International Federation of Robotics, South Korea boasts the highest robot density in the world, with one industrial robot for every ten employees. This incident has raised questions about the future of robotic employees and their integration into the workforce.
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Source: Vietnam Insider