Korean public service robot plunges down stairs ‘committing suicide’

The Gumi City Council announced that the robot stopped working after rolling down the stairs at around 4:00 pm local time on June 20. The machine named “Robot Supervisor” was hit hard on the stairs between the 1st and 2nd floors of the city hall. Witnesses said the robot mysteriously rotated in place before the accident occurred. A city council official said they are still investigating the exact cause of the fall, according to Interesting Engineering.

“The debris is collected and the robotics company will analyze them,” the official said. “This robot helps transport documents every day, promote the city and provide information to local people. It is an official part of the city hall and works very hard.”

Selected in August 2023, this is one of the first robots in the city used for the above purposes. Manufactured by Bear Robotics, a service robot startup in California, USA, the robot works from 9 am to 6 pm and has its own civil servant ID card. Unlike other robots that can only use one floor, the robot at Gumi City Council can manually press the elevator and move between floors.

Korea is one of the most active countries using robots globally. The country has the highest robot density in the world, with one industrial robot for every 10 employees, according to the International Federation of Robotics. Gumi City Council said they have no plans to use a second public service robot in the near future. However, the accident raises many questions about the ethical issues of widely applying robots, especially in positions usually staffed by humans. At the same time, many people have expressed concerns about the workload and well-being of robots in the workforce.