A humanoid robot deployed at an electronics store reportedly turned on a customer after he pushed it, with the entire incident caught on CCTV and quickly spreading across social media.
The footage shows two men already inside the store when the robot is brought in, one in a black T-shirt and shorts, and the other, apparently the shopkeeper, dressed in a grey T-shirt and white shorts.
The man in black seems to have accompanied the machine into the premises, and at one point gestures towards the robot as if encouraging the shopkeeper to greet it.
Moreover, the shopkeeper steps forward with his hands extended, but the robot does not respond. After several seconds of waiting, the man in black shoves the machine.
When the Robot Fought Back
What followed caught everyone in the room off guard. The robot stepped back briefly, then launched into what appeared to be a series of karate-style movements, throwing roundhouse kicks into the air in the direction of the man who had pushed it.
The man in black rushed forward to restrain it, while the shopkeeper retreated to a safer distance.
A third man in a grey T-shirt and jeans ran into the room to help bring the robot under control, but it continued kicking before striking what appeared to be a table or shelf. The two men eventually managed to subdue it.
The robot, identified as Syoma, had reportedly been used by Volga Store as a customer-facing technology consultant. Reports indicate that nobody suffered serious injuries during the incident.
How Kenyans Reacted Online
The clip drew a wave of amused and bewildered responses from social media users.
Fredrick Kanja:
“Can they change its role to security officer at the office. Maybe not give if a gun though”
Edwin Inzoya:
“Can you just take the hands plus one leg and give it to him later?”
Lapziz Bin Kaazm:
“Not trained that customer is always right. Imagine getting hit by that metal”
Benjamin Tinega:
“Let the leg hang on the table without rescued. It thinks after mastering kungfu skills he is a human.”
The incident reignited conversations about the behaviour of humanoid robots in public-facing environments, and what safeguards should be in place when such machines interact directly with customers.
