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Footage shows the robot zooming forward as a child climbs on a metal shelf to stop it from falling on top of her as she plays. The video was captured on camera in the lobby of the Perm Polytechnic University in the central Russian city of Perm, in the Perm Krai region. Footage shows the youngster playing around in the lobby while visitors milled around on the busy day of the student graduation ceremony.

The university, which was also hosting an open day, had hordes of visitors but it is the apparently quick-thinking robot which bizarrely stepped in to stop a catastrophe. The robot, named Promobot, is seen moving on wheels towards the metal shelves as the youngster starts to climb. It reached the shelves at the perfect time and is then seen holding out a hand to stop it from falling on top of her and crushing her as it starts to topple under her weight.

CEN A robot appeared to show initiative and save a little girl from being crushed

CEN Footage shows the robot zooming forward as the child climbs on a metal shelf

The robot prevented her from getting hurt. The robot is not programmed that way Oleg Kivokurtsev

Surprised, she hops down and skips off as though nothing has happened. Oleg Kivokurtsev, the manager of robotics company "Promobot" said: "We were preparing to the graduation ceremony which should have been opened by our robot. "We planed he would congratulate the graduate students and remind them that future is for robots."