German authorities are investigating possible sexual harassment after a robot allegedly touched the buttocks of a 16-year-old girl and made thrusting movements towards her in Cologne.
Police were called to the incident at the weekend near a fast-food restaurant, where the robot was found in the boot of a vehicle. Officers confiscated it along with the mobile phones of two young men suspected of being involved.
The robot’s suspected owner is understood to be 16, while his companion is 19. Police said the pair had allegedly filmed the incident, streamed it and provided commentary online.
Neither man has been charged. Cologne police spokesman Christoph Bermel said investigators were examining whether the robot’s movements had been preprogrammed or controlled in real time.
“We have not been aware of this phenomenon so far,” Mr Bermel told the Associated Press, describing the case as “new territory for us”.
Videos circulated online appear to show two young men escorting the robot towards a group of women on a busy street at night. The robot is seen bumping into one woman and hugging others, while one of the men repeatedly shouts at it and pulls it backwards after it makes sexual gestures.
Cologne police later criticised inappropriate comments about the incident on their Facebook account. Officers warned that sharing such material or joking about alleged sexual harassment could worsen its impact on the victim.
