A robot image. The photo is unrelated to the article. [123RF]
A robot image. The photo is unrelated to the article. [123RF]

A robot sexually assaulted a woman on a German street in the middle of the night in an incident live-streamed on SNS, stirring controversy.

Police seized the robot and are investigating whether its teenage owner deliberately controlled it to carry out the assault.

According to local police, at around 11:45 p.m. Monday, a 1.2-meter-tall robot approached a 16-year-old woman from behind in front of a fast-food restaurant in central Cologne, touching her body and pushing against her, Yonhap reported (local time).

A 19-year-old man who was with the robot's 16-year-old male owner filmed the assault and streamed it live on SNS, police said.

Officers who responded to the scene found the robot — dressed in a sleeveless shirt and sweatpants — in the trunk of the group's Volkswagen and opened an investigation on charges of sexual humiliation.

Police also seized the suspects' mobile phones along with the robot and are investigating how the robot was operated and whether anyone deliberately controlled it at the time.

Human vs. robot fight draws scrutiny

'Terminator' comparisons fuel backlash

Separately, the world's first human-versus-robot combat event, held recently in the United States, also sparked controversy.

The New York Times reported that a human-versus-robot fighting event held Sept. 18 (local time) in San Francisco, California, drew criticism.

The event, organized by startup REK (Robot Entertainment Kombat), featured several humanoid robots. Their opponent was Frankie Lapena, a well-known YouTuber standing 167 centimeters tall.

One of the robots bore the name T800 — the machine from the film "The Terminator" designed to kill humans. Lapena knocked the robot over several times with punches, but it rose each time and kicked back at him.

The robot was controlled by a human player wearing virtual reality equipment. Still, the sight of a Terminator-esque robot physically attacking a person drew concern.

The California State Athletic Commission said REK had held a combat event involving a human without approval, which constitutes a misdemeanor, and immediately ordered it to stop. The commission regulates amateur and professional boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts.

REK pushed back, arguing there was a loophole in the law and that it had done nothing wrong.


yul@heraldcorp.com