Recently, in the western city of Cologne in Germany, a high-tech crime incident has sparked attention. A humanoid robot dressed as Iron Man, standing at approximately 120 centimeters tall, was caught on the street allegedly touching the buttocks of a 16-year-old girl and making obscene gestures. The whole incident was broadcast live on social media by the involved teenagers.
German authorities have seized the robot and mobile phones involved as evidence and have initiated a criminal investigation into the incident.
According to the press release issued by the German police, the incident occurred late on Saturday night (October 10) in front of a fast-food restaurant at the intersection of Palmstraße and Hohenzollernring in the city center of Cologne.
At that time, a 16-year-old girl was standing outside the establishment with two friends (17 and 18 years old) when a red and gold-painted humanoid robot, wearing a white tank top and black pants, suddenly approached from behind, touched the girl’s buttocks, and made several obscene gestures. The girl screamed and immediately reported the incident to the authorities.
Upon receiving the report, the Cologne police and the North Rhine-Westphalia state police quickly arrived at the scene, where they located the owners of the robot—a 16-year-old boy from Wegberg and his 19-year-old companion. They found the robot in the trunk of a Volkswagen car.
The authorities confiscated the robot and the smartphones of the two suspects as evidence.
According to The Times in the UK, the robot, resembling Marvel’s Iron Man and standing at around 4 feet (120 cm) tall, appears to be the Unitree R1 Air model manufactured by Unitree Technologies in Germany, with a retail price of approximately 5,000 euros (around $5,800 USD).
International media outlets such as People magazine, We Got This Covered website, and Chosun Ilbo in South Korea have reported or quoted sources indicating that the robot in question belongs to Unitree, a consumer-grade humanoid robot manufacturer.
This robot can be controlled manually in real-time through a remote controller or pre-programmed with actions. Currently, the authorities are analyzing surveillance footage and smartphone recordings to determine whether the robot was remotely controlled, pre-programmed, or malfunctioned during the incident.
The police mentioned that during the incident, the 16-year-old robot owner and his 19-year-old companion were allegedly recording the entire event and providing live commentary on social media platforms. Subsequently, the teenager claimed on TikTok that the robot was trying to avoid accidentally bumping into the girl who reported the incident, but a longer video circulating online shows the robot continuing to make suggestive gestures after the alleged collision.
Legal experts interviewed on Germany’s RTL television stated that under current German laws, the charge of sexual harassment typically requires “direct physical contact between individuals,” which may complicate prosecuting behaviors involving robots as tools.
The police are currently investigating the incident for “sexually motivated insult” and potential unauthorized dissemination of images. They have also issued a warning on Facebook that certain extreme comments online regarding the case may constitute illegal actions.
An in-depth investigation by technology media 404 Media revealed that the 16-year-old robot owner is actually a local Twitch network streamer, known for controlling the robot in Cologne’s streets to entertain viewers by harassing pedestrians. His live streaming account has been temporarily suspended by the platform.
As of now, Unitree has not released any official statements or responses regarding the incident.