German authorities have launched an inquiry into potential sexual misconduct following an incident where a robot operated by two young men touched a 16-year-old girl’s buttocks and engaged in suggestive movements towards her. The incident occurred in the western city of Cologne over the weekend, with reports indicating that the suspected 16-year-old owner of the robot and his 19-year-old companion filmed the event and live-streamed it online.
While the two male teenagers have not been formally charged, they are being treated as suspects. Investigators are exploring whether the robot’s actions were pre-programmed or controlled in real-time, as this type of occurrence is unfamiliar to the police.
Upon responding to the scene near a fast-food establishment, emergency teams discovered the robot inside a vehicle’s trunk. The authorities confiscated the robot and the mobile phones of the two young men involved. The North Rhine Westphalia Police Cologne shared an image of the robot on social media, describing it as nearly four feet tall and adorned in a white tank top, black sweatpants, a gold chain, sunglasses, and a fake mustache.
Videos circulating online depict the two young men guiding the robot towards a group of women on a lively nighttime street, where it interacted with them inappropriately. The police have expressed disapproval of inappropriate comments related to the incident and cautioned against sharing or joking about such behavior, emphasizing the negative impact on potential victims.
