Robot Allegedly Dies By “Suicide” In South Korea, Sparking Speculations About Overworking
The recent case of a robot allegedly taking its own “life” in the Gumi city of South Korea has made global headlines.
The robot in question was a civil servant employed by the Gumi City Council. It was found lying smashed at the bottom of a stairwell. According to the city council, the robot was nicknamed “Robot Supervisor” and worked a regular 9 to 5 shift and even had its own civil service ID card.
According to reports, on June 26, the robot threw itself down a 2-metre-high staircase, and the reason is still under investigation. City council staff testified that the robot was behaving strangely before the fall, circling in one spot as if it had detected something there. While the investigation is still underway, the robot “suicide” has raised questions about whether it was due to overworking. Officials have collected the broken parts to analyze and determine the reason.
Though using robots in service jobs is not novel in South Korea today, unlike most of them, the Gumi City Council robot was not restricted to a single floor of the building. It independently navigated throughout the building and even used elevators to access different floors. The robot, operational since August 2023, reportedly helped with document deliveries, city promotion, and information delivery.
The manufacturer of this android, California-based startup Bear Robotics, is also probing into the cause of the fall. In the meantime, Gumi City Council has decided to temporarily halt its plans to introduce a second robot civil servant as a replacement.
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