Mannheim – A viral TikTok video is currently causing speculation. It shows a robot dog who is supposed to film passers-by who are not wearing a mask. But what does it mean?
A video from Mannheim has caused a lot of speculation since last week. You can see a dog walking up and down in front of Heinrich-Vetter-Passage in square O7. The special thing about the four-legged friend: it is a robot. The Robo-Dog prances very agile in front of a few shops and is fascinated by the passers-by who stand around. The clip comes from the Mannheimer TikTok-Kanal „henry.pomchi“ and is now going viral. Also because of the text that the creator of the channel chose: “Checks that everyone is wearing a mask“. At the edge of the video there are even two men whose jackets are reminiscent of those of the public order office. But what exactly is behind it?
| Name | Mannheim |
| federal state | Baden-Wuerttemberg |
| population | 309.370 (2019) |
| Lord Mayor | Peter Kurz (SPD) |
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Mannheim: does the public order office use a robot dog?
„The video was sent to me by a friend of my sister’s. In fact, it doesn’t appear to be a fake. You can see that in the shadows in the shop window or on the floor“, Jelena writes to us on request. She is the head behind the TikTok channel “henry.pomchi”, which is actually about the pomeranian dog Henry. The petfluencer reaches almost 35,000 followers with her videos – including the clip of the robo dog.
But did the Mannheim public order office really use robot dogs to monitor the corona measures in the city center? The idea isn’t that far-fetched. In the metropolis of Singapore, for example, such “digidogs” ensure that people adhere to the rules of social distancing. And in New York City, the police use Boston Dynamics robots to hunt down criminals.
Mannheim: The origin of the robot dog is unknown
The copy from Mannheim is not an official crime fighter. “The municipal security services do not have a “Digidog” in action. The Safety and Order Department does not know who this mechanical dog belongs to“, Replies a spokeswoman for the city of Mannheim on request. And Jelena from the channel “henry.pomchi” also admits that the claim with the mask control is a “little gag“Was from her.
But where the “Digidog” comes from cannot be clarified. A request from the company Energy Robotics, which also produces such “Spot” branded robo dogs in Darmstadt, remains unsuccessful. But it was probably not the last time that we saw this “Digidog” in Mannheim. With the clip on TikTok, Mannheim also caused a stir internationally. Several people comment on the video in English or Russian. This could mean that the city of squares has grown to include another attraction. (ie)
Picture list: © MANNHEIM24 / Katja Postillion / Screenshot / TikTok / jenry.pomchi
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