Humanoid robot Bebop delays Southwest flight after battery exceeds limits
Updated
Updated · KGO-TV · May 1
Humanoid robot Bebop delays Southwest flight after battery exceeds limits
7 articles · Updated · KGO-TV · May 1
The 70-pound robot held up a Southwest flight from Oakland to San Diego by more than an hour on Thursday, and the airline confiscated its lithium battery.
Elite Event Robotics said staff questions and safety checks began after Bebop was strapped in, though the flight later departed without the battery.
The company is trying to recover the battery and ship replacements to Chicago so Bebop can attend another event on Sunday after briefly entertaining passengers before boarding.
As humanoid robots become more common, are safety regulations and battery technology advancing fast enough to prevent incidents like this flight delay?
Could the rapid growth of the robot rental market outpace current safety standards, risking more incidents in public spaces?