Abstract:
Police in Cologne, Germany, are investigating a case involving a humanoid robot. A red-and-gold robot was accused of approaching a 16-year-old girl at night, touching her buttocks and making a push. The police have seized the robot and the mobile phones of the two young men involved as evidence. The case occurred late at night on October 10th and early morning on October 11th outside a fast food restaurant in the center of Cologne.
Police said the robot was about 1.2 meters tall at the time, and the girl was playing outside the restaurant with two friends. The police initially believed that the owner of the robot was a 16-year-old boy and another 19-year-old man who was traveling with him. The two allegedly filmed and broadcast the incident live on social media, and also explained the scene. After receiving the report, the police found two people nearby and the robot had been put into the trunk of a Volkswagen.
It is unclear whether the robot's movements are controlled by humans in real time, pre-programmed, or triggered by other methods. The Cologne police criminal department is examining surveillance and online videos and launching an investigation on suspicion of "insults of a sexual nature"; the two men have not yet been charged. The police said that this kind of incident is a new situation for them, and the way the robot operates may affect subsequent investigations and determination of responsibility.
German media pointed out that the case also touched on the issue of legal liability in the use of humanoid robots. If the behavior is controlled by humans, it is easier to clarify the responsible person and the evidence of the behavior; if the robot has a certain degree of autonomy, how the current law handles it may be more complicated. The police are still ascertaining the facts and cannot attribute the actions involved to autonomous behavior of the robot.
After the video of the incident was circulated on the Internet, the Cologne police also reminded the public not to forward relevant images or make fun of the incident to avoid further harming the person involved.
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