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A Case of the World's First Robot Suicide: Tragic Tale of Gumi City’s Robot Supervisor due to Workload or Technical Issue??
What can be described to be more bizarre and a first of its kind is a story that went viral of a robot that works for the Gumi City Council in South Korea that committed “suicide’ by falling down a flight of stairs. Locals are referring to this as the first robot suicide in the country; the event occurred on the 20 th of June in the year 2024 around 4 in the evening.
The discovered robot was named ‘Robot Supervisor’ and was recovered dead at the bottom end part a stairs with two meters width inside the Gumi City Council. Spectators for instance saw the disparaging event in the robot when it was observed moving in circles, apparently stuck in one region of the field as if something was there when it has not. Such behaviour was unimaginable for the efficiency known to belong to the organism.
The Rise and Fall of Robot Supervisor
Robot Supervisor was appointed in August of the previous year, developed by New Jersey based Bear Robotics. Thus, it became quickly incorporated into the work of city hall and could perform functions of document delivery within the building, advertisement of the city, and distribution of information to citizens. Unlike most robots use in production lines where the robot can only move in one floor only, Robot Supervisor was designed in a way that it can move from one floor to the other including the operation of the elevator on its own. It even managed an employee card and followed working hours in the company from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm like the real human employee.
However, failure of the seemingly advanced ‘robot’ in such a notable and decisive manner-call it an accident-tragic event, has left us with many questions, un.answered. The city council officials have gathered all the remnants of Robot Supervisor and forwarded them to Bear Robotics to make some sanitary studies. Nevertheless, the cause of its unpredictable actions that led to its decline in performance is, to this date, unknown.
Speculations and Concerns
Now, since the incident there are a lot of assumptions and questions. Syndicate newspapers were right forward in posting headlines that queried as to whether or not the robot had been overworked in relation to a mechanic breakdown. Essentially South Korea stands in first place in the number of industrial robots per employee where there is one robot for every ten employees. This leads to some relevant questions about such pressures and expectations concerning the robotic workers performing given operations and whether it is possible for such a pressure to result in an operation failure.
A Historical Context of Robotic Failures
This is not the first time such an accident had occurred in the history of robotics. In 2017, there was a security robot in Washington, DC, technically named Steve that was claimed to have committed suicide by drowning in a fountain. After deeper examination it was found that the bot had slipped on a cobble path having loose bricks and then had a bad fall into the water body. Thus, it is seen that even the most hi-tech robotic systems are not exempt from such mishaps and cautious handling is often required.
The Future of Robotic Employment
Unfortunately, the life of Robot Supervisor which was decorated by beautiful dreams of creating employment in Gumi City has come to an end tragically. In the interview, authorities were asked if there is any intention of bringing another robot into the city council, they clarify that they do not have aspirations of getting another Robot Supervisor because it is dead. This decision can be regarded as rather conservative in terms of introducing robots to the key operational positions with regard to the consequences and threats that might emerge in the course of the process.
Ethical and Technological Implications
The incident also raises questions of ethical and technological considerate. As the use of robots is gradually making way into homes and offices, the issues of dependability and the imperfections thereof become crucial. Robot Supervisor should be a lesson to organizations that installing more robotic systems should be accompanied by relevant tests and monitor to avoid such heinous incidents.
Further, there is a shift in the ethical vision of how robotics entities are regarded and managed. Thus, although an anthropomorphic reference to robots’ activities, including “suicide,” should be provocative, it stimulates analysis of our relationships and dependencies on these technologies.
Conclusion
Thus, the given fable of a Robot Supervisor from Gumi City is a suitable caution to remember the ambiguity of beings’ relations with gadgets and robots. When it comes to specific risks, more attention would be beneficial to pay to ant IT development elaborated below, while the general precautions should be shifted to greater consideration of Robots’ deployment for crucial occupations along with safety measures and highly ethical concerns. Robot Supervisor’s dramatic destruction spurs never ceasing discourses of robotic beings, its place in society and the moral/ethical duties owed to these highly advanced beings.
Further, there is a shift in the ethical vision of how robotics entities are regarded and managed. Thus, although an anthropomorphic reference to robots’ activities, including “suicide,” should be provocative, it stimulates analysis of our relationships and dependencies on these technologies.
DR. Girish Krishnan
Director & Strategy Consultant.
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