While many people worry that robots are coming to take their jobs, one unlucky bot seems to have fallen on hard times.
A humanoid robot was spotted begging for money on a street corner in China‘s Sichuan province last week.
In a viral clip, the bot was seen kneeling on the street, holding its hands together and bowing to passersby.
Meanwhile, an LED sign and loudspeaker told locals it had ‘no money to recharge’ and begged them to ‘please help with electricity bills’.
The robotic beggar even had a small plate for collecting coins and, of course, a QR code to collect digital payments.
The humans behind this digital panhandler are yet to be revealed, although the bot has been identified as a $16,000 (£12,000) Unitree G1 humanoid robot.
Online speculation has run rampant over whether this is an elaborate practical joke, a bizarre piece of performance art, or a particularly strange money–making scheme.
Tech fans joked on social media: ‘Even beggars are being replaced by robots.’
A humanoid robot was spotted begging for money on a street corner in China’s Sichuan province last week
As clips of the begging robot spread, social media users have flocked to poke fun at the bot’s baffling appearance.
One commenter wrote: ‘Another day, another robot taking a goddam job from us!’
‘Job market so bad even robots have to beg,’ chimed in another.
Meanwhile another jokingly added: ‘First they took our jobs, now they’re taking our spare change.’
Many social media users were more curious about why someone would have set up such an expensive robot to beg for change in the first place.
‘It’s an extremely lucrative money–making method, way more than minimum–wage jobs,’ one commenter speculated.
‘The owner is chilling at home you know,’ suggested another.
One commenter jokingly added: ‘The cost of purchasing this robot is recovered from the robot itself.’
However, not everyone was a fan of the strange robotic beggar, and many were outraged to see members of the public giving money away.
One commenter angrily wrote: ‘If we can’t guarantee basic dignity for our own citizens, why would we treat artificial intelligence any better?’
The robot was accompanied by an LED sign and speaker telling locals it had ‘no money to recharge’ and begged them to ‘please help with electricity bills’
Another ranted: ‘Don’t give your money to something like that, give it to a human that really needs it.’
This comes after humanoid robots in China suffered several hilarious viral disasters.
Humanoid robots are becoming a common sight in the country, appearing everywhere from promotional events for new stores and restaurants to school sports days.
With an ageing population and sluggish economic growth following decades of expansion, robots are seen as a key pillar of industrial strategy.
However, robots’ increasing proximity to humans has already led to several disastrous encounters with out–of–control bots.
At a sports day event in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in north–western China, a robot was filmed performing a martial arts routine.
But as children ran onto the pitch to join it, the bot collapsed, aiming kung–fu kicks towards baffled performers who worriedly backed away.
Similarly, shocking footage filmed at a show in Shaanxi Province, China, on 21 March, shows a Unitree robot slapping a young boy across the face.
The begging bot had a small plate for collecting change and a QR code used for making digital donations
During a routine, the bot veered towards the crowd with sweeping arm movements, ultimately catching the boy in the head as it performed a pirouette.
Similarly, a viral video captured the moment a robot suffered a hilarious mid–performance disaster while dancing to ‘Billie Jean’.
After making a few enthusiastic moves, the bot tripped over a step and collapsed into a flailing heap before being dragged off stage by its handler.
Tech fans compared the clumsy bot to a ‘drunk uncle having a dance at a wedding reception’.
