A case drew attention in Russia after a robot used to attract customers at a technology store went into attack mode and went after a man after he pushed it. The incident occurred in Saratov, inside Volga Store, an electronics and technology store.
The man pushed the robot at chest height. The humanoid managed to recover its balance, advanced toward the man, and tried to kick him. Employees had to intervene to immobilize it and, finally, turn it off. A man wearing a black shirt was assisted by a third man, who ran and blocked the robot until they managed to stop it.
The images, published by Volga Store itself, were shared by various international media outlets. It is still not known if it was a failure, an automatic reaction, or a staged scene to draw attention.
In the days preceding the incident, the store had presented the robot on social media, to which it even gave a name: Syoma.
