‘Robots can’t commit suicide; falling down the stairs was malfunction’

SEOUL: A robot recently fell down a flight of stairs in South Korea, leading to its breakdown and subsequent malfunction. The incident also led to speculation about whether the robot experienced a technical error or something more complex.

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On June 26, 2024, Gumi City Council announced that their premier administrative officer robot was found unresponsive after apparently falling down a six-and-a-half-foot flight of stairs. Eyewitnesses reported seeing the robot circling in one spot before the fall. The Council is investigating the ‘apparent suicide’ of the robot administrative officer.

The robot, which had been in service since August 2023, was found defunct after plunging itself down a staircase. Pieces of the robot have been collected and are being analyzed by Bear Robotics, the California-based company that manufactured the robot.

The company is known for its restaurant-serving robots and has expressed its commitment to working with Gumi City Council to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

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The robot was responsible for various administrative tasks. It could move between floors by calling an elevator and was equipped with its own civil service officer card. The robot worked from 9 AM to 6 PM, handling tasks such as document deliveries, city promotion, and providing information to residents.

While there is no dearth of social media speculation on the emotional possibilities for the robots, the scientists are of the opinion that the robot experienced a malfunction, meaning it made an error in its calculations. And this error caused the robot to misstep, lose balance, and ultimately fall down the stairs.

Robots operate on computers that use algorithms to calculate their movements. These algorithms, in turn, rely on data from various sensors to make decisions about the robot’s next steps.

If one of these sensors malfunctions and sends incorrect data to the robot’s computer, the robot’s algorithm may produce incorrect responses.

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Prior to the fall, there were clear signs that the robot was malfunctioning. It was observed spinning in circles for no apparent reason, indicating that at least one of its sensors was providing faulty data. This incorrect data could have likely led to the miscalculations that caused the fall.