A Southwest Airlines flight between two California cities was delayed by an unlikely source -- a humanoid robot.
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A team of engineers with Dallas-based Elite Event Robotics was traveling from Oakland, California, to San Diego on April 30 with their 70-pound humanoid robot, Bebop.
Before boarding the flight, Bebop drew attention from travelers as it danced at the gate.
"A lot of people came, took videos and had their kids come and give it high-fives," Eily Ben-Abraham, an employee with Elite Event Robotics of Dallas, Texas, told Fox News Digital.
Elite Event Robotics rents out interactive robots for events, with packages starting at $500 per hour.
Once the humanoid robot was on board, questions arose about the electronic passenger.
"Then, they come and start asking, 'What kind of batteries does it have? What's going on with this? X, Y, and Z.' They want to see it," said Eily Ben-Abraham with Elite Event Robotics.
As Southwest Airlines gauged whether it was safe for Bebop to fly, the questions led to a delay of more than an hour.
The questioning began when the airline realized that Bebop, along with its case, exceeded the airline's 100-pound carry-on limit, said Ben-Abraham.
Due to Bebop's weight, the Elite Events Robotics team was advised to purchase a seat for it.
Elite Event Robotics Forced to Remove Lithium Battery Before Flight
After further questioning, Southwest determined that the robot's lithium battery also exceeded airline limits.
Lithium batteries are regulated on flights due to fire risks. Strict limits on their size and transport are enforced by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Ben-Abraham removed the lithium battery at the airline's request, allowing Bebop to fly in its own seat as an inanimate object.
"I was told to be in touch with the confiscation department," he said.
Elite Event Robotics is working to retrieve the battery before the robot's next scheduled appearance.
"We're overnighting batteries to Chicago tomorrow to hopefully be able to fulfill the next event request," Chana Ben-Abraham said.
