The latest advances in robotics and the course to increase automation in developed countries have posed a unique problem for humans - robots that kill people. And this is not about Skynet, but about the fact that robotic mechanisms simply mindlessly perform what they are programmed to do. And if people had the imprudence to interfere with the task being performed, the robot will treat the "crown of creation" just like any material with which it works. This is why most robot-related incidents and deaths occur in factories where robots work side by side with humans.
Introducing you top 10 cases when robots killed people.
10. Joshua Brown
The title of "the first fatal victim of a self-driving car" will forever remain with Mr. Brown. He died on May 7, 2016, after the Tesla S sedan was unable to distinguish the 18-wheel tractor from the free track. "Tessie," as Brown affectionately called his electric car, drove under one part of the tractor and drove out on the other side, but with the roof torn off. Then she left the road and crashed into two fences, and then into a post. The bitter irony is that the same Joshua Brown has uploaded several videos on YouTube, which, among other things, show how Tesla's autopilot function prevented an accident.
Tesla tried to disown its guilt in the accident. In the report, she noted that this is the first fatal accident involving the Model S at 209 million km, while in the automotive industry this figure reaches 150 million km. The report also pointed out that the autopilots of electric vehicles are not ideal and drivers should not take their hands off the wheel. Brown's hands were not on the wheel for only 25 seconds out of 37 minutes of the trip, but that was enough for an accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board found out that neither the motorist nor the "electronic brains" of the Tesla S hit the brakes. And the truck driver said that Brown watched the Harry Potter movie during the accident. At the scene, a micro SD card was indeed found containing a film about the "boy who survived", but it is not known for sure whether Brown watched it on a laptop found in the car.
9. Robert Williams
This is the first person ever killed by a robot. He worked at a Ford plant in Michigan and was killed by a robotic arm on January 25, 1979. She hit him just as the worker climbed onto the shelf to get a new part. Ironically, it was assumed that it was a robot, not a human, who had to carry parts from place to place. However, the device was misreading the amount of parts left on the shelf, forcing Williams to go and check it out for himself.
An official check found out that the death of the man was caused by weak security measures. The Williams family was paid $ 10 million in compensation.
8. Nine soldiers from South Africa
In 2007, the Oerlikon GDF-005 anti-aircraft gun, which started firing spontaneously, killed nine and injured 14 South African soldiers. The weapon was controlled by a digital system that is able to find, target and destroy enemies without human intervention.South African troops were training with Oerlikon GDF-005 at the Army Combat Training Center in the North Cape when a weapon jammed and something exploded inside. And then it started firing in all directions. In total, the Oerlikon GDF-005 fired 250 high-explosive 35mm rounds.
There are suggestions that the accident could be due to either a software problem or a mechanical failure. Richard Young, an engineer and chief executive officer of defense company Oerlikon Contraves AG, said that such a case of spontaneous shooting is not unique. It's just that no one has been killed before.
7. Mika Johnson
In 2016, this black African shot and killed five police officers in Dallas and injured nine others, as well as two civilians. The shooting started out of the blue, during a protest against the shooting of blacks in the United States. After the shootout, Johnson took refuge in El Centro College. A five-hour standoff ensued, during which the police tried to negotiate, but Johnson responded by threatening to detonate several bombs. Law enforcers offered him two options: either he goes out and surrenders, or force will be used against him. The offender refused to go out. Perhaps if he knew what "strength" means in the understanding of the police, he would have preferred to surrender.
The law enforcers attached a block of C-4 explosives to a robot and sent it to Johnson. The explosion killed Johnson and damaged the robot. It was the first time a human being was killed by a robot in the history of American police forces. Moreover, the robot was created in order to defuse bombs, and not be their carrier.
US troops in Iraq are known to attach bombs to robots and use them against insurgents.
6. Kenji Urada
This engineer earned the dubious fame of becoming the first Japanese to be killed by a robot. A tragic incident took place in 1981 at Kawazaki Heavy Industries. Urada tried to fix the robot, and even turned it off first. However, in the process of manipulating the robot, the engineer accidentally hooked the toggle switch. As a result, a mechanical hand pushed the poor man into a crusher, where he died.
5. An unnamed victim
The tragedy occurred at the Volkswagen plant in the German city of Baunatal in 2015. The name of the victim is unknown, they only know that this young man was part of the team that created the robot. The creature turned out to be ungrateful, it grabbed its creator and pressed it into metal plates. At the hospital, a 21-year-old man died of his injuries.
The robot was designed to work on an engine production line. He was usually kept in a protective cage, where the man worked during the accident. In a statement, Volkswagen management said the incident was caused by human error. After all, another engineer who was in a cage with a robot at the time of the incident remained unharmed.
4. Wanda Holbrook
In March 2015, a 57-year-old American woman was killed by a robot at the Ventra Ionia Mains plant. A woman named Wanda Holbrooke was engaged in monitoring whether the robots were working properly and recording any failures that occurred.
The Ventra Ionia Mains auto parts plant was divided into sections, with robots from one section theoretically unable to reach another. However, one robot still succeeded. The robotic arm reached out to the section where Wanda was working and then hit and crushed the victim's head between the assembly couplings.
The robot tried to place the victim's head in a special clamp, which already contained a part. This is a gross violation of the rules of work, since the clamp cannot contain more than one part of the car.
The Holbrooke family has indicted five companies that helped build the robot.
3. Ana Maria Vital
In 2009, this 40-year-old woman was killed by a robot stacking boxes on pallets. One of the boxes got stuck and Maria had to enter the robot section to retrieve it. However, she did not turn off the mechanism, once again confirming the rule "all safety instructions are written in blood."
The robot grabbed Anu Maria as if she were one of the boxes and crushed her torso. Other mechanics tried to free the woman, but the robot would not let her go, and Ana Maria died.
2. Ramji Lal
In 2015, a 24-year-old Indian was killed in a SKH Metals factory when he approached a robot from behind. The mechanism was engaged in moving sheets of metal welded together. And Ramji tried to correct one of the sheets, as it was incorrectly positioned. However, the man was not agile enough, and the robot pierced his stomach with a sharp metal edge. Death did not come immediately, the unfortunate man suffered for about half an hour, and died already in the hospital. An autopsy revealed that his insides had become a mess, and death came from extensive internal blood loss. However, the police report said that Ramji died of electric shock.
Other SKH Metals employees argue that the fact of the murder of a person by a robot was the fault of the person himself. There was no need to approach the robot from behind. However, the very fact that this happened is a matter of concern.
1. Regina Elsa
The first place in the ranking of deadly robotic attacks on people went to a very sad story about a girl who did not live two weeks before her own wedding.
The incident occurred in 2016, at the American plant Ajin USA, which produces parts for one of the largest car manufacturers in the world - Hyundai and Kia.
On the fateful day, Regina and other workers tried to repair the faulty robot. It was not their responsibility, but the maintenance staff, who were supposed to fix the robot, did not pick up the phone. During the repair work, the robotic mechanism suddenly "came to life" and pushed Elsa into another car, severely injuring the girl. She received medical attention, but despite the efforts of the doctors, Regina died.
An investigation into the incident revealed that the plant had grossly violated safety procedures because its owners wanted to maximize profits. In addition, Ajin USA employees had to work from time to time seven days a week, and the management forced them to repair faulty machines.
When a robot kills a person, who can be held accountable? Is this considered negligent homicide? Should the robot be taken into custody, and its owners should be awarded compensation to the relatives of the killed? The answers to these questions of jurisprudence have yet to be found. Only one thing is not questionable: deaths involving robots will continue to occur. And it is not always the fault of a person.