A bizarre incident inside a Russian electronics store has gone viral after a humanoid robot appeared to turn on a customer who pushed it.
The footage, shared by electronics retailer Volga Store (Volga Store 64) on Instagram on August 31, shows a customer approaching the humanoid after entering the store. What begins as an attempted handshake quickly turns into an unusual confrontation.
Customer pushes robot after failed handshake
In the video, the customer first shakes hands with a store employee before approaching the humanoid robot.
The man extends his hand toward the machine, seemingly expecting it to respond. When the robot fails to extend its limb, the customer appears disappointed and lightly pushes it.
That is when the situation takes a dramatic turn.
Humanoid appears to ‘fight back’
Almost immediately after being pushed, the robot moves toward the customer and appears to take a defensive stance.
It begins swinging its arms and kicking toward the man, who backs away as the humanoid continues moving in his direction.
The sudden reaction leaves employees scrambling to intervene.
Employees struggle to restrain robot
A store employee initially attempts to stop the robot, while another worker arrives from the back of the store.
The humanoid continues moving aggressively and appears to turn toward the employees as they try to contain it.
The footage eventually ends with one of the workers grabbing the machine from behind and bringing the situation under control.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
Was it a malfunction or staged stunt?
The bizarre footage has sparked debate online, with viewers joking that the “robot rebellion” has begun in a Russian electronics store.
However, it remains unclear exactly what caused the robot's movements.
Possible explanations include a mechanical self-balancing response, a gyroscope or orientation-system malfunction, remote-controlled behaviour or even a staged promotional video.
The apparent forward movement and kicking could therefore have been the result of the machine attempting to regain balance after being pushed rather than deliberately “attacking” the customer.
Robot reportedly named Semyon
The store reportedly presented the humanoid as a consultant named Semyon.
While the clip has been widely shared as an example of a robot seemingly fighting back against a human, the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear.
Still, the bizarre encounter has reignited a familiar question as humanoid robots become increasingly common: what happens when humans interact with machines that are designed to move and respond like people?
