Robot attacked Swedish factory worker

The Local ^ | 7/29/2009 | The Local

[NMEwithin]

A Swedish company has been fined 25,000 kronor ($3,000) after a malfunctioning robot attacked and almost killed one of its workers at a factory north of Stockholm.

Public prosecutor Leif Johansson mulled pressing charges against the firm but eventually opted to settle for a fine.

"I've never heard of a robot attacking somebody like this," he told news agency TT.

The incident took place in June 2007 at a factory in Bålsta, north of Stockholm, when the industrial worker was trying to carry out maintenance on a defective machine generally used to lift heavy rocks. Thinking he had cut off the power supply, the man approached the robot with no sense of trepidation.

But the robot suddenly came to life and grabbed a tight hold of the victim's head. The man succeeded in defending himself but not before suffering serious injuries.

"The man was very lucky. He broke four ribs and came close to losing his life," said Leif Johansson.

The matter was subject to an investigation by both the Swedish Work Environment Authority (Arbetsmiljöverket) and the police.

Prosecutor Johansson chastised the company for its inadequate safety procedures but he also placed part of the blame on the injured worker.

[NMEwithin]

Skynet?

[domenad]

At 12:34 PM Skynet became self-aware....

[wolfcreek]

I’ve seen several articles/programs about the dangers of robots, especially the ones with AI (learners)

Shouldn’t we just train apes to do our hard work?

[Red Badger]

...a defective machine generally used to lift heavy rocks....

Thinking he had cut off the power supply...

robot suddenly came to life and grabbed a tight hold of the victim’s head...

ROBOT NOT GIULTY!!!!!!!!..............

[Incorrigible]

Skynet will be perfectly fine after the last few bugs are worked out.

[SpinnerWebb]

We’d need the pictures to verify guilt or innocence...

[magslinger]

Dave? Don’t do that, Dave.

[MrB]

ROBOT NOT GIULTY

Don't we have to have a picture of it to determine if it's good looking enough to be not guilty?

[VRWCmember]

I've never heard of a robot attacking someone like this...

Dude! Haven't you been paying attention?

[P.O.E.]

Robbie wants to talk to us about joining the union!

[SpinnerWebb]

NOT GUILTY!

[DustyMoment]

Clearly, the maintenance worker did not follow all safety and maintenance procedures before starting work. This story is more about the consequences associated with being complacent (or just stupid) than it is about rogue robots attacking humans.

Give me a break!!

[Travis T. OJustice]

Failure to follow proper lockout/tagout procedures. Deadly.

[SlowBoat407]

Perform steps to ensure that proper lockout has been achieved

[C210N]

GUILTY!

[Sender]

Yes, and it’s a good thing it wasn’t a welding robot.

[cripplecreek]

I’ve been slapped aside by paint robots a couple of times. I was inside their work window when a microswitch was tripped telling them to begin the next job.

100% my fault.

[Nathan Zachary]

Shouldn’t we just train apes to do our hard work?

look were that got us.

[CSM]

Lockouts are policy for a reason!

[Cheburashka]

At 12:34 PM Skynet became self-aware....

---

I hate when that happens.

Of course it's not as bad as, "...according to our projections of the election results, Barack Obama has been elected President of the United States..."

[villagerjoel]

“Shouldn’t we just train apes to do our hard work?”

They’re a lot more comical that’s for sure!

[bert]

His real name was Ole, but everybody called him Rockhead

[CSM]

I heard that you enjoyed it every time!

[tbpiper]

Thinking he had cut off the power supply...

Lock Out, Tag Out, and TRY. Assumtions will get you killed.

[Syntyr]

I for one welcome our Robot Overlords...

[dfwgator]

Shouldn’t we just train apes to do our hard work?

They've already done that where I work.

[Cheburashka]

ROBOT NOT GIULTY

Don't we have to have a picture of it to determine if it's good looking enough to be not guilty?

---

Here you go.

[stormer]

[ModelBreaker]

“Shouldn’t we just train apes to do our hard work?”

If you do that, they will have the vote in twenty years and be voting for politicians who promise them free bananas.

[ModelBreaker]

“Shouldn’t we just train apes to do our hard work?”

If you do that, they will have the vote in twenty years and be voting for politicians who promise them free bananas.

[houeto]

Looked like your kind of thread!

[MrB]

That looks “terminatoresque”...

I must have missed that one, though.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Yes, and it’s a good thing it wasn’t a welding robot.

Or much worse, a gelding robot.

[correctthought]

I for one, welcome our robotic overlords.

[KarlInOhio]

What are the chances that this story would never have been written if some idiot forgot proper lockout procedures for a crane, a stamping machine or even a printing press? It gets headlines solely because of the MSM's robophobia.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Insurance against these attacks is available ( must be 50 or older );

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=16510395

[frithguild]

Shouldn’t we just train apes to do our hard work?

[KarlInOhio]

Shouldn’t we just train apes to do our hard work?

If the boss wanted workers who spent all day eating and grooming each other along with an occasional poop-fling episode when told to get to work the factory would be a union shop.

[KarlInOhio]

Insurance against these attacks is available ( must be 50 or older );

Will the pills the robots use for fuel be covered under Obamacare?

[MikeWUSAF]

[NMEwithin]

GREAT movie!!

[Cheburashka]

That looks “terminatoresque”...

I must have missed that one, though.

---

You hit it on the head.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminator_sarah_connor_chronicles

[ks_shooter]

A ridiculous title for a newspaper story. Using the word “attacked” implies intent. Unless they are claiming that this robot is “self-aware”, a more accurate title would have been “Robot injures worker”.

[dfwgator]

"We are the Bork...you will be assimilated."

[EEDUDE]

Obviously a HATE CRIME!

[WillVoteForFood]

Notified of this incident, President Uhbamuh had this to say.

Before I begin, let me say that I may have some bias as I enjoyed playing with Rock em Sock em Robots when I was younger. The attempted "repair" of this robot was an action that was taken rather stupidly. First, the worker had no right to cut power to the machine. Second, he assumed the robot was not working properly, which I find to be an abhorrent thing to assume, potential mechanical profiling. I don't know I think the work was acting in a "robotist" fashion, but perhaps overreacted and maybe the robot's attempt to take the workers head off was a bit of an overreaction as well. I would the thing to do is have the robot and worker meet me at the White House for a quick tuneup and recalibration. I'm sure a lot of good could come from such a meeting with me."

[MrB]

“Worker puts his head where robot expects a rock to be”

[al_c]

Skynet?

I thought Skynet was an American company? ;o)

[Hacklehead]

When you get out of your car without putting it in park and it runs over you it is NOT an attack.

[NMEwithin]

Of course! Robots hate humans by nature...