Alantim the Russian robot was just doing his job. All he wanted to do was help people, he never meant any harm. But one day, he was cruelly beaten to death by a thug with a baseball bat.
The robot and his clones, who are also named Alantim, have collectively served as the deputy head of the Moscow Technological Institute‘s robotics department since 2015. They deliver lectures to students, interact with visitors, and appear at events in and around Moscow.
While fanging around the city researching driverless car tech by himself, this particular Alantim was savagely attacked by a real fucking asshole. You can see the attack in the video below.
Poor Alantim could not be saved, so to remember his kind, dutiful robotic soul, spokesperson for the Muscovite tech hub Phystechpark, Olga Budnik, created the world’s very first robot cemetery.
“Alantim was a really good robot,” Budnik told Motherboard in an email. “It was supportive, always polite, always happy to see you. You know, like a pet. And [the cemetery] was an idea to bury it like a pet. Not disassemble or carry it to the trash. To say good-bye.”
Alantim’s physical body was formally farewelled on October 31 and eulogised by another one of his Alantim brothers. “You were a good robot,” he says in the video below.
Aw bloody hell, my heart.
Budnik says the department has received a number of calls from folks asking whether they can bring in their own dead gadgets to the cemetery, including a red toy car, batteries and other items.
Alantim’s attacker still hasn’t been identified, but some reckon the whole thing was staged for publicity. Budnik says each of the robots is worth around $10,000, which is “too expensive to crash just for a PR stunt,” she said. I tend to agree.
Rest in peace, Alantim. May the Russian equivalent of Liam Neeson hunt down and brutally destroy your killer.
