South Korean Robot Throws Itself Down The Stairs; Was It Suicide? Inspection Underway

In a surprising event, a South Korean civil servant robot reportedly "committed suicide" after officials claimed it threw itself down a flight of stairs for unknown reasons. The Gumi City Council stated that the robot became non-functional after falling down a two-meter staircase and was discovered severely damaged in the stairwell between the building's first and second floors, as reported by The Daily Mail.

Residents of the South Korean city are now mourning what is believed to be the first robot suicide. Witnesses reported that the robot appeared to be moving in circles as if reacting to something before the incident occurred, though the exact cause of the fall is still under investigation. 

"The pieces have been collected and will be analysed by the company," an official stated. According to the report, the robot was tasked with handling daily document deliveries, city promotion, and providing information to local residents. "It was officially part of the city hall, one of us," said a Gumi City Council official, noting that the robot served "diligently." The robot, which began its duties in October 2023, was the first to be employed in this capacity.

Local media have questioned whether the robot's death might have been a suicide, speculating that the workload could have been too overwhelming for it. Created by the California-based startup Bear Robotics, the robot worked from 9 am to 6 pm and had its own civil servant card. It was assigned to the role in August 2023 and, unlike other robots, had the capability to call an elevator and navigate between floors independently. 

Witnesses observed the robot officer "moving in circles as though something was present" before the incident took place. However, the exact cause of the fall is still under investigation, according to a city council official speaking to AFP.

Previously, a security robot named Steve reportedly "committed suicide" by drowning in a water fountain in Washington, DC. However, it was later determined that the incident resulted from the robot slipping on a "loose brick surface," which caused it to tumble and fall four stories into the fountain.