Overview
- A humanoid robot about 1.2 metres tall allegedly approached a 16‑year‑old and touched her while she was with friends in central Cologne on the night of Oct. 10–11, and footage of the encounter circulated online.
- Police located two males aged 16 and 19 near the scene, seized the robot from a car trunk and confiscated two mobile phones as evidence, and are treating the pair as suspects though they had not been formally charged in initial reports.
- Multiple videos on social platforms, including TikTok, show the robot near two men approaching the teenager and the girl reacting by shouting and moving away, and authorities say the incident was recorded and reportedly streamed live.
- The criminal inquiry is focused on technical forensics to establish whether the robot’s sexualized movements were directed in real time, executed from preprogrammed instructions or produced by autonomous behaviour because that finding will shape legal culpability.
- Police have publicly urged people not to share or mock the footage to limit further harm to the victim, and the case has prompted calls for better forensic tools and clearer safety rules for robots and remote‑controlled devices in public spaces.