SEOUL: A robot recently fell down a flight of stairs in South Korea, leading to its breakdown and subsequent malfunction. The incident has sparked speculation about whether the robot experienced a technical error or something more complex.
On June 26, 2024, Gumi City Council announced that their premier administrative officer robot was found unresponsive after apparently falling down a six-and-a-half-foot flight of stairs.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the robot circling in one spot before the fall. The Council is investigating the “apparent suicide” of the robot administrative officer.
The robot, which had been in service since August 2023, was found defunct after plunging down a staircase. Pieces of the robot have been collected and are being analyzed by Bear Robotics, the California-based company that manufactured the robot.
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Bear Robotics, known for its restaurant-serving robots, has expressed its commitment to working with Gumi City Council to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
The robot was responsible for various administrative tasks, such as document deliveries, city promotion, and providing information to residents.
It could move between floors by calling an elevator and was equipped with its own civil service officer card, working from 9 AM to 6 PM.
Social media has buzzed with speculation about the emotional possibilities for robots, but scientists believe the robot experienced a malfunction.
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They theorize that the robot made an error in its calculations, leading it to misstep, lose balance, and ultimately fall down the stairs.
Robots operate on computers that use algorithms to calculate their movements, relying on data from various sensors to make decisions.
If one of these sensors malfunctions and sends incorrect data, the robot’s algorithm may produce incorrect responses.
Prior to the fall, the robot was observed spinning in circles, indicating at least one sensor was providing faulty data. This likely led to the miscalculations causing the fall.
