An apparently crazed humanoid robot launched a savage karate attack, throwing a whirlwind of punches and kicks, on a customer after being pushed in the chest in a shop
The robot revolution may be upon us after a droid lost control and unleashed a series of martial arts-styles blows at a customer.
CCTV footage shows a human approaching the robot and shoving it in the chest, prompting a dramatic reaction. The bot squares up to the customer at an electronics store in Russia, refusing a handshake before launching into a series of punches and kicks.
The karate-esque response goes on for about two minutes, with the bot throwing several haymakers as well as two or three savage-looking kicks. At one point, the automaton lands an especially vicious stamp on a table, causing it to stumble chaotically to the ground. Two members of staff can be seen grabbing the bot, which is called Syoma, and restraining it, thankfully preventing it from doing any serious damage to the customer, staff members or itself.
The bizarre confrontation happened at a tech store in Saratov, Russia, on Monday (August 31).
The footage was posted by the store on Tuesday (September 1) and has since been doing the rounds online, prompting a statement from the company itself.
The business itself said: “The store’s robot consultant, Syoma, suddenly went out of control appeared to attack a customer. Thankfully, everyone is OK! Syoma is now undergoing an ‘emotional reboot’, while the customer escaped with little more than a fright.
The robot’s manufacturer, model or control system has not been publicly identified.
It is therefore unclear whether Syoma was responding to the shove, trying to regain its balance, following a programmed sequence or being remotely controlled.
Some online have speculated that the video may be staged by the robotics company, pointing to the delayed and somewhat theatrical reaction of those involved.
The scary incident comes weeks after it was reported that developers had successfully manufactured a freakish four-legged robot capable of wielding a chainsaw has been unleashed.
The frightening bot, dubbed ThreeHalves and developed by tech-firm Satyress, stands at over six feet tall and is so potentially dangerous that its creators have even published a guide on how to destroy it if it goes on the rampage.