When you talk about robots being trained in combat and martial arts, people instantly think about the worst possible scenarios, such as a robot takeover of the world and a war of the machines.
While many believe that such scenarios are too extreme to come true, spectators who watched a clown-wigged robot kick a child in the chest have already been filled with fear in China, likely changing the way they perceive the two-legged mechanical device.
Footage of the robot attacking the child has gone viral on social media, highlighting how a reported demonstration exercise shockingly turned into an episode of hostility for the child who was hurt by the kick.
The incident also showcases the unpredictable side of robots. Nobody from the crowd that watched the robot would have imagined that it would attack a child who was shorter than it with such force.
The Child’s Mother Complained the Staff Was Slow to React
This incident occurred at a Xinjiang tourist attraction, where spectators, including many children, surrounded a robot that was displaying its martial arts skills.
The robot wore a blue wig and maintained a distance from people. Several children were amused by its martial arts moves, but as it moved forward, it got closer to the boy it eventually targeted.
The robot then swiftly turned around and kicked the boy hard in the chest. The boy bent down in pain and sat on the floor, while other children who watched the stunt, not realizing the seriousness of the situation, laughed and cheered.
After the kick, the robot moved back, away from the boy who had been injured. Shanghai Daily, which shared the clip on X, confirmed that the child escaped serious injury, but the boy’s mother complained that the staff members who managed the event were slow to respond to the incident.
This is evident in the video, as nobody came forward to help the injured boy, nor was the event paused for a moment to check and ensure the robot did not kick anybody else.
When one looks closely at the video, it appears that the boy who got injured stood closer to the robot than the others. He stood on the pink band on the mat, while the other spectators stood on the yellow band.
The robot was likely allowed to perform its martial arts display within the limits of the pink band. However, the boy standing there came in its way and got kicked. It is worth mentioning that it was the organizer’s responsibility to clear the spectators from the robot’s territory to prevent such an incident.
Of course, the child’s parents also should have ensured he stood at a safe distance from the robot. The incident highlights how the robot was not ‘conscious’ of the boy’s presence and therefore executed the kick, unlike a human who would know when and who to kick.
It is possible that the robot was tuned to a combat mode that disabled all the safety layers designed to prevent it from attacking people, akin to turning off the ESP and traction control on a car. However, that is an assumption yet to be confirmed.
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Users Ask for Robots to Be Banned After Disturbing Video
Users on Instagram have commented on the video, with many asking to stop the development of robots. Some comments are listed below:
One user wrote:
“Can we please just stop with the freaking robots? Just stop”
Another user questioned the development of such robots:
“WTH are we doing here?! Genuine and very serious question. We’re spending money on robots that we’re training with martial arts who don’t know to not kick children in the torso meanwhile children are starving all around the world. What is the point of this?”
One user pointed out that nobody around the child was concerned after he got kicked:
“No one was concerned…”
One user revealed their SkyNet theory:
“This is how it starts. They are probing our response. SkyNet”
A user hoped for the well-being of the child:
“That was a really hard kick I hope that kids ok” [sic]
Terminator vibes, anyone?
“If you’ve watched Terminator, you know what happens next, right?👏”
One user said the child was in the path of the robot:
“Kid was in the way. Where’s the adults watching them?”