Robot depression? Cleaning robot commits suicide by throwing itself on stove

There’s always the possibility that it was just one big malfunction. It is, after all, just a machine, but news sources are calling the mysterious incident that occurred in Kirchdorf, Austria a suicide.

Gernot Hackl, the owner of the robot is claiming that the household iRobot Roomba 760 turned itself on while stationed on the countertop, slid over to the stove (pushing a pot out of the way) and threw itself onto the fire.

All that was left of the cleaning robot that threw itself on the stove. (Image courtesy of Daily Mail)

At that point the robot disintegrated into a pile of ash.

“I don't know about the allegations of a robot suicide but the homeowner is insistent that the device was switched off — it's a mystery how it came to be activated and ended up making its way to the hotplate,” said Helmut Kniewasser, one of the first firemen to show up on the scene, the Daily Mail reported.

 
What the Roomba 760 used to look like before it turned to ash.

According to the fire department, the entire apartment building had to be evacuated as a result of smoke damage, and the people who owned the robot are unable to reside in their apartment due to severe damage.

The Roomba 760 is a cleaning robot that vacuums any kind of floor autonomously in your home. The robot’s owner is planning to sue the manufacturer for damages to the apartment.