Police in Cologne, Germany, have seized a humanoid robot after it was accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in a viral social media stunt. The robot allegedly approached the girl from behind and touched her bum, before making suggestive thrusting movements.
Incident outside fast food restaurant
The alleged assault took place shortly after midnight in front of a fast food restaurant. The robot, estimated to stand at 1.20 meters tall, is believed to have approached the girl from behind. The ordeal was allegedly recorded and posted on TikTok.
The robot's owner, aged 16, and his friend, aged 19, have been accused of filming the alleged assault in real-time and posting it on the social media platform. Police have released a mugshot of the robot, which is pictured lying on the ground wearing sunglasses, a black moustache, a white vest, and what appears to be a fake gold chain.
Investigation and seizure
Following the alleged assault, police found the robot in the boot of a VW car. Officers have opened an investigation into how the robot committed the alleged sexual offence, and whether someone was controlling its movements. The phones of the two suspects have been seized alongside the robot.
Social media videos circulating on TikTok show the machine roaming around Cologne and making suggestive movements.
Expert warnings on AI sex bots
The development comes after experts warned that a breed of AI sex bots could end up blackmailing and even killing their owners. Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor with web security firm ESET, previously told the Daily Star: "At the very least, they could be hacked for blackmail purposes. They probably have cameras and that footage would be very valuable to cyber-criminals for blackmail purposes."
Dr Nick Patterson from Deakin University in Victoria, Australia, warned: "Hackers can hack into a robot or a robotic device and have full control of the connections, arms, legs and other attached tools like in some cases knives or welding devices. Once a robot is hacked, the hacker has full control and can issue instructions to the robot. The last thing you want is for a hacker to have control over one of these robots. Once hacked they could absolutely be used to perform physical actions for an advantageous scenario or to cause damage."
