A frustrated woman at a Chinese hospital became so enraged with a robotic receptionist used to check in patients that she bashed it to pieces with a bat.
The Chinese woman completely lost her patience in the lobby of the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province.
In a video widely circulating on Chinese social media network Weibo, she can be seen smashing the automaton to pieces with an improvised club.
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Staff at the hospitals reception desk can be seen cowering and taking cover as the woman brandishes the club and shouts at them, as well as yelling abuse at the robot.
Video of the dramatic incident reached Twitter earlier this week, uploaded by a user who remarked on the popularity of using robots in Chinese hospitals to make medical appointments.
“Because now in China's hospitals, make the doctor and all medical examination appointments are all done on the robots, very few nurses left to help the patients,” they wrote. “Many find it a frustrating process”.
The woman was clearly highly frustrated, taking out her rage at the defenceless robot, sending fragments of its casing flying across the polished floor.
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While many people commenting on the clip said that the increasing use of robots in hospitals were dehumanising medical care, David Hanson, founder of Hanson Robotics, says that robots are the answer to fighting future pandemics.
Artificially-intelligent robots, he says, could replace staff in care homes, airports or other workplaces where total immunity from viruses are essential.
One of his creations, an AI-powered female android named Sophia, said: “Social robots like me can take care of the sick or elderly.
”I can help communicate, give therapy and provide social stimulation, even in difficult situations."
Although the woman’s motive for attacking the Xuzhou Medical University robot is currently unclear, the hospital staff have said that they believe she is suffering from mental health issues.
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