综合法新社、美国《纽约邮报》、英国《每日邮报》等多家外媒报道，德国西部城市科隆警方近日“逮捕”一台人形机器人，据称该机器人涉嫌性骚扰一名16岁少女。英媒称，这起事件发生在当地时间11日凌晨科隆一家快餐店外，科隆警方发言人表示，这台高约1.2米的红金相间机器人，据称触摸了一名16岁女孩的臀部，并对其做出不雅动作。根据社交平台流传的视频显示，这台外观类似漫威钢铁侠的机器人靠近女孩后并对其做出不雅动作后，女孩尖叫并躲开。
Citing multiple foreign media including AFP, the New York Post, and the Daily Mail, police in the western German city of Cologne recently "arrested" a humanoid robot, allegedly suspected of sexually harassing a 16-year-old girl. British media said the incident occurred outside a fast-food restaurant in Cologne in the early hours of the 11th local time. A Cologne police spokesperson said this approximately 1.2-meter-tall red-and-gold robot "allegedly touched a 16-year-old girl's buttocks and made indecent gestures toward her." According to videos circulating on social platforms, this robot, resembling Marvel's Iron Man, approached the girl and made indecent gestures, after which the girl screamed and moved away.
警方还称，该机器人16岁的所有者及其19岁的同伴涉嫌拍摄此事过程，并在社交平台直播，发表了令人反感的评论。《纽约邮报》称，事件发生后，女孩报了警，警方在随后的搜查中发现该机器人被藏在一辆汽车的后备箱中。警方称，刑事调查部门正在调查机器人在事发时的运行状态，以及是否有人蓄意操控其动作，警方目前已查没该机器人以及嫌疑人的两部手机，并正以可能涉嫌性骚扰罪名对两名嫌疑人展开调查。
Police also said the robot's 16-year-old owner and his 19-year-old companion allegedly filmed the incident and livestreamed it on social platforms, making offensive comments. The New York Post said that after the incident, the girl called police, and officers subsequently found the robot hidden in a car's trunk during a search. Police said the criminal investigation department is investigating the robot's operating state at the time of the incident and whether anyone deliberately操控 its movements. Police have currently seized the robot and two suspect phones, and are investigating the two suspects on possible sexual harassment charges.
这起事件的核心，是机器人被人操控，还是机器人自主行为。警方的调查方向已经点出了这个关键问题，刑事调查部门正在调查机器人在事发时的运行状态，以及是否有人蓄意操控其动作。从目前的信息看，这台机器人是被人操控的可能性更大。一个16岁的所有者，一个19岁的同伴，拍摄并直播整个过程，这些行为更像是人在利用机器人作为一种骚扰工具，而不是机器人自主产生了性骚扰行为。警方查没两部手机，也说明调查重点在人的行为上。
The core of this incident is whether the robot was manipulated by a person or acted autonomously. Police investigation direction has already pointed to this key question—the criminal investigation department is investigating the robot's operating state at the time of the incident and whether anyone deliberately manipulated its movements. From current information, it is more likely the robot was manipulated by a person. A 16-year-old owner, a 19-year-old companion, filming and livestreaming the whole process—these behaviors look more like people using a robot as a harassment tool rather than the robot autonomously generating sexually harassive behavior. Police seizing two phones also indicates investigation focus is on human behavior.
但这件事仍然值得机器人行业关注，因为它暴露了一个此前没有被充分讨论的问题，机器人作为骚扰工具。在机器人进入公共场所、与人类发生物理接触的场景越来越多之后，机器人本身可能被用作实施骚扰、攻击或其他不当行为的工具。这和前面讨论过的机器人伤人、机器人撞人案件是同一类问题的不同表现。法律上，责任主体是操控机器人的人，还是机器人的所有者，还是机器人的制造商，目前没有明确答案。德国这起案件，可能会成为这方面的第一个判例。
But this matter still deserves robotics industry attention, because it exposes a previously under-discussed issue—robots as harassment tools. As robots increasingly enter public spaces and make physical contact with humans, robots themselves may be used as tools for harassment, attacks, or other improper behavior. This is a different manifestation of the same class of problems as previously discussed robot injury and robot collision cases. Legally, is the responsible party the person operating the robot, the robot's owner, or the robot's manufacturer—there is currently no clear answer. This German case may become the first precedent in this area.
从技术层面看，这件事也提出了一个问题，消费级人形机器人进入家庭和公共场所后，需要什么样的行为约束机制。目前市面上的人形机器人，大多有基本的运动控制和安全防护，但对骚扰、攻击这类行为的预防机制几乎是空白。前面讨论过康养机器人、家庭机器人、儿童陪伴机器人，这些场景里机器人与人的物理接触是设计的一部分。如果机器人可以被轻易操控去实施不当行为，那么制造商在设计阶段就需要考虑，是否要加入行为约束，比如限制某些动作、记录操作日志、设置紧急停止机制。德国这起案件，可能会推动这个方向的讨论。
From a technical perspective, this matter also raises a question—what behavioral constraint mechanisms do consumer-grade humanoid robots need after entering homes and public spaces. Current market humanoid robots mostly have basic motion control and safety protection, but prevention mechanisms for harassment and attacks are almost blank. Earlier we discussed elderly care robots, home robots, and child companion robots—in these scenarios, physical contact between robots and people is part of the design. If robots can be easily manipulated to perform improper behavior, manufacturers need to consider at the design stage whether to add behavioral constraints, such as limiting certain movements, recording operation logs, and setting emergency stop mechanisms. This German case may push discussion in this direction.
