Cologne police: Robot accused of sexually assaulting a minor; owners under investigation

Cologne city police in Germany said on Tuesday that a robot has been charged with "sexual assault" of a minor aged 16.

Police said the robot, about 1.20 metres tall, approached the girl from behind after midnight in front of a fast-food restaurant, groped her buttocks and made sexually suggestive movements toward her, according to the account released by authorities.

Authorities also charged the robot's owner, a 16-year-old boy, and his 19-year-old friend with filming the incident and streaming it live via an app, according to the investigation.

Police found the robot in the trunk of a Volkswagen, confiscated the suspects' phones and the robot itself, and opened an inquiry to determine how the assault was carried out and whether one of them controlled the device's movements or exploited it remotely.

The police released an official photo of the robot showing it lying on the ground, wearing sunglasses over its face, a black mustache, a sleeveless white vest and a gold-coloured chain that appears to be fake.

Experts warned of security risks associated with this class of robots, saying they can be hacked for the purpose of extorting their owners or physically harming them, potentially escalating to more serious threats.

In this context, Jake Moore, a cybersecurity consultant at a German company, said that the cameras built into devices of this type can be hacked for extortion because the recordings they contain may be valuable to cybercriminals.