Random Scariest Real-Life Robotic Disasters and Accidents (13 items)

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  (#1) Samsung Smartphones Exploded En Masse

  When Samsung released the faulty Galaxy Note 7 to compete with Apple's iPhone, it nearly sank the company. Just a few weeks before the US release in August 2016, users in South Korea reported their phones were catching fire and in some cases exploding. The potentially dangerous mistake cost Samsung $26 billion in stock.

  The US issued a recall of the Note 7 in September 2016 and again in October 2016 when Samsung sent out replacement units that had the same issue.
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  (#2) A Self-Driving Car Killed A Pedestrian

  One of the first deaths by self-driving car occurred in March 2018. A car owned by Uber struck and killed a female pedestrian. The self-driving system detected a human six seconds before the crash, but didn't take action to prevent the collision.

  The car had an emergency braking system, but it was turned off to prevent "erratic driving." Engineers failed, however, to program the car to alert the operator to brake.
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  (#3) Robot Surgeons Caused More Than 144 Deaths Over A 14-Year Period

  Although robotic surgeries have many benefits - such as the ability to make smaller incisions that lead to expedited recovery times - 144 deaths have been linked to the procedures over a 14-year period in the United States.

  The machines have reportedly dropped surgical tools into patients' bodies and singed tissue with electrical sparks. Many of the deaths, however, may be related to complications and risks that naturally occur during surgery.
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  (#4) A Robot Arm Fatally Crushed The Chest Of A Worker At A Volkswagen Factory

  A 22-year-old working at a Volkswagen factory in Germany in 2015 sustained fatal injuries when a robotic arm crushed his chest.

  The robot was part of an assembly line that can function without a human controlling it, but it's unclear if it was operating on its own at the time of the incident.
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  (#5) An Automated Cannon Malfunctioned And Killed Nine Soldiers In South Africa

  In 2007, an advanced piece of military machinery designed to identify targets for its human users to shoot malfunctioned in South Africa. It killed nine people when it began to shoot on its own, emptying 250 rounds at a training center.

  The Oerlikon GDF-005 is built to spot aircraft. It's connected to 35mm guns, which can automatically reload. The technology likely jammed and malfuntioned, leading to numerous casualties.
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  (#6) A Factory Robot Killed A Worker And Apparently Wiped Its Own Memory Of The Incident

  In 2006, a robot at Alliance Tech Systems pinned a man's head between its robotic arm and company machinery. The man was likely reaching to remove scraps the robot dropped or to press its reset button.

  When analysts performed tests on the robot, it had no memory of malfunctioning on its computer.
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  (#7) A GPS Device Caused A Man To Drive On A Closed Bridge

  When a GPS device caused a man to drive down a semi-demolished bridge in Indiana, he and his wife plunged almost 40 feet. Driver Iftikhar Hussain survived, but his wife Zohra Hussain died in the 2015 accident.

  Iftikhar was so focused on his GPS unit that he didn't notice signs announcing the bridge's closure.
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  (#8) A Robot Impaled A Man With Huge Metal Spikes

  A man working at a porcelain factory in Hunan, China, was hospitalized in 2018 after a falling robot arm impaled him with 10 large metal spikes. The spikes punctured the man's shoulder, chest, and wrist, leaving him unable to use his right arm.

  Each spike was 11 inches long, and one narrowly missed an artery.
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  (#9) A Robot Unleashed Bear Repellent Upon Amazon Factory Workers

  A robot punctured a can of bear repellent in a New Jersey warehouse in December 2018. The repellent, which is made with chili pepper extract, caused breathing difficulties as well as a burning sensation in the throats of some of the 54 workers exposed to the product.

  Around 25 people were hospitalized after the incident, with one worker in critical condition.
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  (#10) A Robot Entered An Unauthorized Location And Killed A Woman

  In 2015, a robot killed Wanda Holbrook, who was responsible for machine inspections and maintenance at a stamping and molding company in Michigan. The robot entered an unauthorized area and malfunctioned. It attempted to place a hitch assembly where one already was, crushing Holbrook in the process.

  A coworker found Holbrook unresponsive; emergency responders pronounced her dead at the scene.
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  (#11) The First Known Human To Be Killed By A Modern Robot Is Robert Williams, Who Died At A Ford Factory In 1979

  Robert Williams was gathering parts at a Ford factory in Flat Rock, MI, in 1979 when a robot arm fatally struck him. An alarm was supposed to go off when the robot was nearby, but the safety measure failed.

  A court awarded Williams's family $10 million in damages after a jury found that Ford failed to protect Williams.
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  (#12) A Family Nearly Died In The Desert After A GPS Device Led Them In Circles

  The Cooper family visited Death Valley during the summer of 2010 and got lost when their GPS device directed them down a small dirt path. The family was missing for three days but fortunately made it out of the desert alive.

  One mother and son were not so lucky - they got lost for five days after their GPS misdirected them. The boy died before authorities discovered the pair, and his mom barely survived.
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  (#13) An Automaton Bludgeoned A Man During The Victorian Era

  At a historical church in the town of Glogau, Germany, an automaton fatally struck a visitor in 1876. The automatons, which were equipped with hammers, were programmed to strike a bell every hour. A visitor to the church was closely inspecting the machinery when he was surprised by the sound of an automaton striking the bell.

  He leaped backward into the range of another automaton's hammer, which fatally struck the man.

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