By Victoria Ho/Singapore From Mashable

A Chinese-made robot had an accident at a Shenzhen tech trade fair over the weekend, smashing a glass window and injuring someone standing nearby.

On Friday the robot, which its maker, Beijing Science and Technology, affectionately calls 小胖 (Xiao Pang, or “Chubby”), wheeled itself into the glass pane of an exhibition stand, shattering it.

A person standing nearby was wounded by the shards, and was taken to the hospital, the Liuzhou police said on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like microblog.
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In a statement posted on its site, the manufacturer apologized for the incident, and explained that a staff member was trying to move the robot aside when he accidentally pressed the key to move back, not forward.

The robot rolled away from his grasp and he could not stop it in time, the company said.

Xiao Pang has sensors to stop it from bumping into obstacles for regular use, but that function is disabled when its control panel is open.

The cute robot has a screen for a face that can emote, and is marketed as an educational toy for children between the ages of four and 12.

Xiao Pang is also equipped with a webcam, and can potter around the home helping parents keep an eye on their kids. It can also conduct two-way video calls.
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Beijing Science and Tech noted that since the robot went into mass production in September, more than 3,000 Xiao Pangs have been sold. It retails for 9,988 yuan ($1,448).

Although the incident appears to be an accident, there have been several reports across both Chinese and Western media of Xiao Pang “going rogue” and taking out its frustrations on humans.

And a parody Weibo account has already surfaced. Called “Chubby Robot”, the user’s bio says: “Humans will eventually fall at my feet.”

IMAGES:

The damage

Image: liuzhou police/weibo

The man carried away on a stretcher.

Image: Liuzhou police/weibo

Image: beijing science and tech/weibo

[]Xiao Pang broadcasting a video call.

Image: beijing science and tech/weibo

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