Robot allegedly used to grope teen girl seized by German police

Berlin — German police have seized a humanoid robot after it allegedly touched a 16-year-old girl in an indecent manner and made sexually suggestive gestures toward her. Investigators were trying to determine Wednesday whether the robot’s actions were deliberately controlled by two young men who apparently livestreamed the incident in the western city of Cologne on social media.

The unusual incident occurred on Oct. 10, shortly before midnight near a fast-food restaurant on a bustling nightlife strip in Cologne, according to a police statement released Monday.

Videos shared online appear to show the teenage girl standing with two friends, aged 17 and 18, when a red-and-gold robot in athletic wear, about 4 feet tall, approaches her from behind. According to police, and as the videos appear to show, the robot touches the 16-year-old’s buttocks and repeatedly makes thrusting movements toward her.

The owner of the robot, a 16-year-old male, and his 19-year-old companion are said to have recorded and livestreamed the encounter themselves, while commenting on it live on social media.

Police officers alerted to the incident encountered the two young men nearby shortly after it was reported. At that point, the robot was already in the trunk of a Volkswagen, but the police say they seized both the robot and the two suspects’ smartphones as evidence.

German media identified the robot as a commercially available humanoid model that costs around 5,000 euros, or about $5,600. 

One of the individuals involved later claimed on TikTok that the robot had accidentally collided with a woman while trying to avoid another passerby. But longer videos circulating online appear to show the robot performing sexually suggestive movements after the contact with the girl.

Investigators are analyzing surveillance video and online recordings to reconstruct the exact sequence of events, the police said. They also hope to determine whether the robot’s actions were controlled remotely, whether specific movements were programmed, or whether the machine acted on its own.

The incident raises some unusual legal questions. Under German law, the criminal offense of sexual harassment generally requires direct physical contact between people. Legal experts told the television network RTL that the use of a robot could therefore make it difficult to prosecute the robot’s owners under existing harassment laws.

Instead, police are investigating the case on suspicion of a sexually motivated insult. Possible violations involving the unauthorized publication of images may also be examined.

No charges have been filed against either of the two suspects so far.

The case highlights new challenges for law enforcement agencies as increasingly powerful humanoid robots become more accessible to private individuals, bringing new questions about where responsibility lies when machines are used to commit potentially criminal acts.