In June 2023, a service robot working at the Gumi City Council in South Korea experienced a tragic incident after falling down a two-meter-high flight of stairs. Some have called it the country’s first case of robot “suicide.” The robot, named “Robot Supervisor,” stopped working after rolling down the stairs at 4:00 pm local time on that day. Witnesses reported that the robot mysteriously rotated in place before the fall occurred, hitting hard on the stairs between the first and second floors of the city hall.
The city council is currently investigating the cause of the fall, with Robotics Inc., its manufacturer, set to analyze any debris collected from the accident. The robot was one of the first of its kind in Gumi City and was selected in August 2023. It was manufactured by Bear Robotics, a startup based in California, USA. The robot worked from 9 am to 6 pm and had its own civil servant ID card. It could navigate between floors by manually pressing elevator buttons.
South Korea is known for its high use of robots, with it having the highest robot density in the world. This incident has raised questions about ethical implications of deploying robots in roles traditionally filled by humans and concerns about workload and well-being of robots in the workforce. Despite this tragedy, there are no immediate plans to introduce another public service robot in Gumi City at present time.
This situation highlights complexities and challenges involved with integrating robots into various aspects of society and prompts discussions about how best to ensure responsible and ethical use of this technology moving forward.