AI on Desk Made a Call
Rescued After Being Trapped in Bathroom for 5 Hours
A man in his 30s was trapped in a bathroom for more than five hours and miraculously escaped with the help of the artificial intelligence (AI) on his mobile phone, which was located 6 meters outside the door.
According to Yonhap News on the 12th, Mr. A, who lives in a studio apartment in downtown Seoul, went into the bathroom around 7 p.m. on the 5th to wash up but got trapped when the door suddenly locked. The bathroom was a semi-basement with no windows and was only about 1㎡ in size.
Mr. A, who is 170 cm tall and weighs 102 kg with a sturdy build, tried kicking and ramming the door with his body, but it would not open.
He tried to remove a thin metal pipe next to the sink to make a hole beside the door handle but failed, and even tried to break through the ceiling with his strength, but to no avail.
After nearly five hours of struggle, when his energy was depleted and he was in despair, he remembered the mobile phone he had left on the desk.
At 11:42 p.m. that same day, he first spoke to the phone’s AI but received no response; however, three minutes later, the AI began to recognize his voice.
He shouted, "Hi Bixby, emergency call," but the AI seemed not to understand. Then he recited the phone number of his parents living in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do, and the AI connected him to them one by one.
His parents, who live in Mokpo, woke up in the middle of the night after receiving their son's call. Since he did not say anything special but only repeated "119, 119," they sensed something was wrong and reported it to the police and the 119 emergency services.
Samsung Electronics 'Galaxy S21 FE'. This photo is not directly related to the content of the article. [Source: Provided by Samsung Electronics]
Whenever the call was disconnected, Mr. A called the AI again to talk to his parents, repeating "119, 119."
The police and fire department were preparing to track his location through the phone signal. The fire department was actively communicating with Mr. A’s parents, having spoken with them six times.
Fortunately, Mr. A’s younger sister, who lives in Hoengseong, Gangwon-do, provided their home address at 12:05 a.m. on the 6th, and the police arrived at Mr. A’s home 12 minutes later at 12:17 a.m., successfully opening the door. This was about 30 minutes after he requested help from the AI.
Mr. A said, "If it weren’t for the mobile phone AI, I wouldn’t have been able to contact the police or fire department, and I probably would still be trapped now. I am grateful to be alive thanks to my phone."
He added, "Because I had to hold my arms up for a long time to make a passage through the ceiling, I couldn’t move my arms for five days after escaping. I also suffered abrasions on my palms from trying to make a hole in the door with the metal pipe, and broken glass shards pierced my feet," describing the situation at the time.
He said, "The landlord promised to repair all the damaged fixtures, including the bathroom door and ceiling," and urged, "Wherever you go, always carry your mobile phone and secure an escape route."
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