Patrolling robot damaged after falling down staircase at Hong Kong airport

Hong Kong authorities investigating after accident during trial run on Saturday

Hong Kong authorities are investigating an accident in which a patrolling robot fell down a staircase at the arrival hall of the Hong Kong International Airport and broke into pieces.

The Airport Authority Hong Kong told the South China Morning Post on Sunday that the robot had tumbled down a staircase in Terminal One during a test run on Saturday, resulting in partial damage to the robot.

It said no injuries were reported in the incident.

Viral pictures circulating online showed a silver-and-black humanoid robot with a head and two arms and hands lying at the bottom of a staircase, with its arms broken into pieces. The staircase led to an emergency exit.

An authority spokeswoman said the accident occurred in a non-public area of the airport.

“The robot operations contractor’s staff were present on site and monitored the whole testing process,” she said.