OMM Newsroom
Police in the German city of Cologne have opened an investigation into a possible sexual assault after a robot allegedly rubbed against a 16-year-old girl and touched her buttocks, police said.
The incident took place late on Sunday night in North Rhine-Westphalia, a state in western Germany. The girl was outside a fast-food restaurant with female friends aged 17 and 18 between 11:45 p.m. and midnight local time.
Police said the robot, which stood about 1.20 metres tall, approached the girl from behind. The robot was owned by a 16-year-old and was allegedly operated by him and a 19-year-old companion.
The two suspects reportedly filmed the alleged incident and livestreamed it on social media. Emergency services sent to the scene found the suspects and the robot in the trunk of a vehicle.
Authorities seized the robot and mobile phones belonging to both suspects. Footage circulating online shows a robot wearing a white vest, gold chain and sunglasses approaching women on the street and making sexually explicit gestures.
Investigators are examining whether the robot’s movements were pre-programmed or deliberately controlled during the incident.
