A humanoid robot was used to assault a teenage girl in Germany, police said.
A man, 19, and a boy, 16, are being investigated after the robot groped a 16-year-old girl’s backside and made “thrusting motions” towards her, according to Cologne police.
Officers are investigating whether the robot was being directed via remote control or had its actions pre-programmed.
The robot, resembling the comic book hero Iron Man, allegedly approached the 16-year-old outside a burger restaurant in Cologne just before midnight on Saturday.
The android, dressed in a white vest, tracksuit bottoms, a fake gold chain and a stick-on moustache, then allegedly assaulted her.
A 16-year-old male, the robot’s alleged owner, and a 19-year-old man are suspected of livestreaming and providing commentary on social media as the alleged attack occurred.
The girl allegedly screamed and moved away before the 1.2m-tall robot left the scene.
Cologne police said they were alerted to the incident and found the men, who had put the android into the boot of a Volkswagen car.
Robot seized by police
They seized the robot and two mobile phones belonging to the suspects while carrying out their investigation into suspected sexual harassment.
The Chinese-made Unitree R1 Air robot retails for approximately €5,000 (£4,222) in Germany and is described as one of the most affordable full androids offered by a major manufacturer.
The robot is able to process speech and vision through onboard AI and can have its actions pre-programmed or be manually operated with a remote control.
The criminal investigation is examining whether someone was controlling the robot’s movements and how it was functioning at the time, police said.
