Korean government robot falls down stairs

A government adminstrative robot fell down a two-metre staircase in Gumi City, South Korea, prompting questions about its reliability.

Made by California-based startup Bear Robotics, the robot was part of the city hall and had assisted with daily document deliveries and information dissemination to local residents. 

The robot was one of the first to be used in this capacity in the city. South Korea has a high robot density, with one industrial robot for every 10 employees. 

Dubbed by the local media as the country’s first "robot suicide", the cause of the fall is still under investigation.

The incident was seen to highlight the ongoing challenges in developing robots that can navigate complex environments such as stairs, and raised questions about the readiness of robots for tasks such as external document delivery.