In what probably would be the world's first 'robot suicide', a robot civil servant at South Korea's Gumi City Council has sparked a massive chain of thoughts among people over the incide💛nt.
The incident took place around 4 pm last Thursday, when the robot -- which is now defunct -- fell d🐓own a two-metre staircase.
The 'Robot Supervisor' was found in a heap at the bottom of the stairwell between the first and second floors of the Gumi City council building, Daily Mail UK reported.
Promptly responding to the incident, officials said that the shattered pieces of the robot have been collected for anal🏅ysis by the company, adding that the exact cause of the fall ဣis being probed.
Stating that the robot was behaving strangely, wi♓tnesses described the civil se🐭rvant to be "circling in one spot as if something was there".
The 'Robot Supervisor꧋' appointed in August 2023, it was one of the first to be used in su🍸ch a manner. It reportedly helped the city council with daily document deliveries, city promotion and information delivery to local residents.
"It was official a part of the city hall, one of 🐟us. It worked diligently," an official was quoted as saying.
Local media questioned the apparent robot suicide, asking "Why ꦫdid the diligent civil officer do it? or askꦓing "Was work too hard" for the robot?
Several netizens responded saying, "If the workload had been too much, would he have s🌊pun around for a long time and then rushed down the stairs", while othe♊rs said, "I pray that scrap metal rests in peace."
Amid all this 'suicide' news, experts have reportedly said that it could be most li🏅kely a technical glitch or malfunction.
Developed by a Californian robot-waiter startup, Bear Robotics, the 'robot supervisor' worked 9 hours, from 9 am to 6 pm, and⛦ had its own civil service officer card.
Unlike the usual routine where robots could use only one floor, the Gumi City Council robot office💃r could move around floors using the elevator.
Notably, South Korea has the highest robot density in the world, with one industrial rob🍃ot alloted for every 10 employees, the International Federation of Robotics said.
