5-Year-Old Girl Loses 4 Teeth After Robot Kicks Her at Hubei Science Museum

A 5-year-old girl in Xiangyang, Hubei Province, lost four teeth and needed three stitches to her face after being kicked by a robot during a visit to a science museum, Yangtze Evening News reported today.

The incident happened on November 12, 2025, when the girl was visiting Xiangyang Science and Technology Museum with her kindergarten class. More than nine months later, her family, the museum, the robot operator and the kindergarten have still not reached a compensation agreement, the report said.

The girl's family said children were watching a robot performance when the robot, controlled by a staff member with a remote, suddenly moved forward and kicked the child in the upper left side of her face.

The impact split her upper lip, knocked out one of her upper teeth at the scene and left another loose, a family member said. The family said the child later lost four teeth in total and has been receiving repair treatment.

The girl's mother, surnamed Wang, said doctors told the family the child may need laser treatment every six months for about three years, followed by surgery in Shanghai to treat scarring. She said doctors could not guarantee the scar would fully heal.

The robot was operated by a full-time employee dispatched to the museum by Hefei Anda Exhibition Technology Co, the person in charge said. The operator "did not properly judge the safe distance" and misoperated the robot, the museum official said.

A staff member from the company said it and the museum had advised the family to resolve the dispute through legal channels. The company said the parties were still discussing how responsibility should be divided.

The company offered to pay 20,000 yuan (US$2,976) in humanitarian assistance in addition to medical costs that had already been reimbursed, the report said. The girl's family is seeking a one-time payment of 150,000 yuan.