Remote-Controlled Robot Seized by Cops After Assaulting Teenager, Incident Streamed on Social Media

A 16-year-old girl’s night out with friends in Cologne, Germany, ended with police investigating an unusual alleged assault involving a remote-controlled robot.

Cologne police said in a press release on Monday, October 12, that they are investigating a 16-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man over the alleged incident, which police say was also streamed on social media.

The girl was with two friends, ages 17 and 18, near a fast-food restaurant on Palmstrasse when the red-and-gold robot came up behind her.

Police allege the roughly 4-foot device “touched the girl’s buttocks” and “made thrusting motions against her.”

Metro UK reported that the 16-year-old boy, who is from Wegberg, may have operated the robot remotely. The robot resembles Marvel’s Iron Man.

Police added in their release that the robot was allegedly placed in the trunk of the young men’s Volkswagen.

Police said he and the 19-year-old allegedly filmed the encounter, streamed it live and commented on what was happening.

Officers later located the two suspects near Magnusstrasse and Hohenzollernring. Authorities seized the device along with both suspects’ mobile phones as part of the investigation.

A video circulating on TikTok shows a red-and-gold humanoid robot approaching a teenage girl as two men stand nearby, Metro reported.

The girl can be heard screaming before moving away from the machine.

Police have not identified the suspects or the girl. “The criminal investigation department is investigating on suspicion of sexual harassment,” Cologne police said in their statement.

Investigators are working to determine how the robot was controlled and whether the seized phones contain additional evidence linked to the alleged livestream.