A humanoid robot named Bebop delayed an Oakland to San Diego flight for nearly an hour while Southwest tried to figure out how to travel with the robot.
The robot is made by a company called Elite Event Robotics, which rents out robots like Bebop for events. Bebop can dance and serve drinks.
After an event last week in the Bay Area, Bebop needed to get to Southern California. The new carrying case was too heavy to check in, so Elite’s employee decided to buy the robot a ticket, checked it in and brought the robot onto the plane.
Southwest was initially stumped on how to handle the robot, saying the item was essentially a carry-on and therefore could not be in a seat.
Ultimately, they moved Bebop from the aisle to the window, took out its battery and the plane went on to its destination.
A new dancing robot at Cupertino’s Haidilao Hot Pot is going viral for going on a frenzy and knocking over items on tables.