Pho restaurant workers stop would-be thief from kidnapping $29k robot co-worker

Employees at a US pho restaurant have stopped a would-be thief from kidnapping their $29,000 robot co-worker.

Pho-ck that!

Employees at a California pho restaurant stopped a would-be thief from kidnapping their $18,000 ($A29,000) robot co-worker last Saturday as the man awkwardly struggled to load the mechanical server into his car, the New York Post reports.

Security footage inside Pho 21 in South San Jose captured the moment the attempted thief entered the restaurant around 7.40am, just 20 minutes before it was set to open.

The man asked to use the bathroom and disappeared around the corner, according to the clip.

He then double-backed from the bathroom and tried to pick up one of the restaurant’s three robot servers.

The robot that was nearly stolen from Pho 21. Picture: Facebook / Pho 21

The man walked inside and asked to use the rest room early Saturday morning, but instead tried to make off with one of the robot servers. Picture: KGO-TV

He wrapped his arms around its middle as if he were attempting to suplex it before hauling it outside, practically waddling as he struggled under the pressure of the robot, the footage shows.

One of the onlooking employees tried to stop him as he awkwardly carried the bot out the door.

Once outside, the man dragged the robot on the sidewalk and heaved it into the back of his car. He had the robot stashed in his trunk for all of 10 seconds before other employees emerged and wrestled the helpful robot away, according to the video.

The man tried and failed to load the robot server into his car. Picture: KGO-TV

Other employees inside the restaurant bolted outside and wrenched the robot away from the would-be thief. Picture: KGO-TV

They eventually made the man surrender the robot and called the police.

The robot server is valued at approximately $18,000 ($A29,000) but would have been worthless to the would-be thief, Pho 21 owner Tony Ngo told ABC 7 News. The bot requires specialised programming – making it unusable outside of the restaurant.

No humans or robots were reported injured, according to the local outlet.

The little robot that could is back to serving up pho to its hardwiring’s content.

The robot at Pho 21 cost approximately $18,000 ($A29,000) the owner said. Picture: Google Maps

Robots are rapidly advancing and seem to be cropping up across industries with no telling what they could be capable of just a few years down the line.

On one end, researchers are working towards making functioning AI robots that can emote and ultimately be used as a significant other.

Meanwhile, China’s newest humanoid robot is pushing the boundaries in the mechanical service world as their new 5’5” bipedal machine provides a glimpse into what the future of warehouse and factory work might look like.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and has been reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Pho restaurant workers stop would-be thief from kidnapping $29k robot co-worker