Eily Ben-Abraham of Elite Event Robotics bought two tickets and boarded a Southwest Airlines flight in Oakland with an unusual companion – a robot named Bebop, UPI reported on May 4. The 4-foot, 70-pound robot gave the plane crew pause. First, Ben-Abraham had to move Bebop from its aisle seat – where its presence violated airline rules about large carry-ons – to a window seat. But the challenges didn’t end there, as crew determined that Bebop’s lithium batteries exceeded Southwest’s allowable amount. The flight, which was headed to San Diego, was delayed just over an hour while the batteries were removed and confiscated. Elite Event Robotics says Bebop will continue to fly commercial, but without its batteries. [UPI, 5/4/26]

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