# German teenager remotely controls humanoid robot to sexually harass girl; who should police arrest? Embodied AI ethics faces a test

- Source: OFweek Robotics
- Published: 2026-10-15T01:58:00.000Z
- RoboHot: https://robohot.news/en/items/e1qmwz1beyw2ne0262bzcg084
- Original: https://robot.ofweek.com/2026-10/ART-8321206-8110-30707177.html

## Summary

In Cologne, Germany, a 1.2-meter-tall humanoid robot was remotely controlled outside a fast-food restaurant to touch a 16-year-old girl's buttocks and make indecent gestures; the incident was livestreamed, and police have seized the robot and are investigating its 16-year-old owner and a 19-year-old companion. The key point is that the robot was not operating autonomously but was controlled by a person, so the law needs to determine whether the actions were preprogrammed or remotely controlled in real time. The incident coincided with the release of China's "Embodied AI Ethics Governance Research Report" the same day, highlighting the legal gap in embodied AI ethics and the definition of responsibility.