In Germany, a robot accosted a 16-year-old girl. Who will be punished?
In Cologne, Germany, police are investigating an unusual incident: a humanoid robot touched a young girl and simulated sexual movements. The incident was livestreamed on social media. Police are now clarifying the circumstances of the incident and the role of the people accompanying the robot.
As reported by the Cologne police, the unusual incident occurred late in the evening on October 10 near a fast-food restaurant in the city center. A 16-year-old girl was there with friends when a robot, about 120 centimeters tall, approached her from behind. It touched the girl's buttocks and then made "thrusting movements towards her buttocks."
The incident was filmed and livestreamed on social media by the robot's 16-year-old owner and his 19-year-old companion, who accompanied the broadcast with obscene comments.
The girl reported the incident to the police. Law enforcement quickly located two suspects nearby. The robot itself was already in the trunk of a Volkswagen car. Police confiscated it along with the mobile phones of both young men.
The robot looked quite extravagant: a red and gold body, a white T-shirt, sunglasses, a fake mustache, and a gold-colored chain. Similar humanoid robots cost between 5 and 9 thousand dollars.
As the Associated Press writes, videos circulated online showing two young men accompanying the robot to a group of girls. It touches one of them and hugs others. After the indecent movements, one of the guys tries to pull the robot away, while people nearby laugh.
A representative of the Cologne police told the Associated Press that law enforcement had never encountered similar incidents before. According to him, this is an an entirely new situation for the police. The two young men have not yet been charged, but they are considered suspects.
The incident posed an unusual legal question for investigators: who is responsible for sexual harassment when a person is touched by a robot?
As German lawyers explain, a robot in such a situation can be considered an instrument in a person's hands. Therefore, the fact that the girl was touched by a machine does not, in itself, preclude responsibility for sexual harassment.
Currently, the police are investigating the incident on suspicion of a sexual offense. Investigators are determining how the robot was controlled during the incident and whether its movements were intentionally orchestrated. At the same time, lawyers do not rule out that the actions of the suspects could be classified under other articles, including sexual harassment.
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