WASHINGTON — Robotic vacuum cleaners are supposed to help sweep up a home while freeing the owner from the tedious chore.

Sometimes things go very wrong.

A 52-year-old South Korean woman was taking a nap on the floor at home, when her robotic vacuum locked onto her hair, ingested it, and wouldn’t let go.

The woman couldn’t free herself, so she called 119 — the Korean equivalent to 911, with what was described as a “desperate rescue plea,” by emergency officials.

According to the South Korean newspaper Kyunghyang Shinumn, as reported in The Guardian, paramedics were able to free her from the robot’s clutches.

The woman lost about 10 strands of hair, but  was not seriously injured.