Police in Cologne have seized a humanoid robot and the smartphones of two young men after a 16-year-old girl reported that the machine touched her inappropriately and made sexually suggestive movements toward her on a busy nightlife street.
The incident occurred between approximately 11:45 p.m. and midnight on the night of October 10–11, 2026, outside a fast-food restaurant at the corner of Palmstraße and Hohenzollernring on the city’s well-known Ringe nightlife strip. The girl was standing with two friends, aged 17 and 18, when the roughly 1.2-meter-tall (about 4-foot) red-and-gold robot approached her from behind. According to police, the machine touched her buttocks and repeatedly performed thrusting movements against her.
Officers responded after the girl raised the alarm. They located the robot’s 16-year-old owner, from Wegberg, and his 19-year-old companion nearby at the corner of Magnusstraße and Hohenzollernring. By then, the teenager had already placed the robot in the trunk of a Volkswagen. Police seized the robot and both men’s mobile phones as evidence.
In an official statement released October 12, Cologne police said the two young men are suspected of filming the encounter, livestreaming it on social media, and providing commentary as it unfolded. Investigators from the criminal investigation department are examining how the robot was operating at the time — specifically whether its movements were deliberately controlled in real time, preprogrammed, or otherwise directed. Police are treating the case as suspected “Beleidigung auf sexueller Grundlage” (insult or harassment on a sexual basis).
The robot, described as red-and-gold and dressed in a white tank top, black sweatpants, a gold chain, sunglasses, and a fake mustache, has been widely photographed since its seizure. Media reports have put its approximate value at around €5,000. Videos circulating online appear to show a similar robot interacting with people on Cologne streets in the days around the incident, sometimes making lewd gestures. One individual later claimed in a short online clip that any contact was accidental, but police are reviewing all available footage, including material from camera-monitored areas of the Ringe.
Cologne police spokesman Christoph Bermel told reporters the case represents “new territory” for the department. “We have not been aware of this phenomenon so far,” he said. The two young men have not been charged but remain suspects while the investigation continues.
Police have also cautioned the public against inappropriate online comments about the incident, warning that such remarks can harm the victim and may themselves cross legal boundaries.
As of mid-October 2026, the investigation remains active. Authorities continue to analyze the seized robot and phones to determine the extent of human control and whether a criminal offense can be established.
