German authorities have initiated an inquiry into potential sexual harassment following an incident where a robot controlled by two young men reportedly touched a 16-year-old girl’s buttocks and made suggestive movements towards her, as disclosed by the police. The incident occurred in the western city of Cologne over the weekend, prompting a response from local law enforcement.
The suspected owners of the robot, aged 16 and 19, allegedly filmed the encounter, streamed it online, and provided commentary on the incident. Although the two male teenagers have not been formally charged, they are considered suspects. Investigators are currently exploring whether the robot’s actions were pre-programmed or controlled in real-time.
Cologne police spokesperson, Christoph Bermel, mentioned that this type of incident was unfamiliar to the authorities, describing it as “new territory” for them. Emergency teams dispatched to the scene near a fast-food restaurant discovered the robot in a vehicle’s trunk, leading to the confiscation of the robot and the young men’s mobile phones.
The robot, nearly four feet tall, was described as wearing a white tank top, black sweatpants, a gold chain, sunglasses, and a fake mustache. Videos circulating online show the two young men guiding the robot towards a group of women on a lively nighttime street, where it engaged in inappropriate behaviors, eliciting laughter from onlookers.
In response to the incident, the police issued a statement on Facebook condemning inappropriate comments and cautioning against sharing or joking about such incidents due to their potentially harmful impact on victims.
