Scare Story: Massive Domestic Robot Lethally Wounds Human
SCARE Story of the day features the German researchers who have discovered that robots in the home might attack humans. Yep, stick with the Filipino maid. Sure, she’s stealing your underwear and using your Touch Eclat, but has she stabbed you yet? And can a robot flirt with your husband like the Swiss au pair?
The boffins equipped robot arms with blades, such as a steak knife, kitchen knife, scissors and screwdriver. They then invited the robot arm to hit a substance interned to mirror soft human tissue – a lump of pig, a mound of silicon and a, er, man’s arm. And -whaddayaknow? – the robots managed to inflict potentially “lethal” wounds on the stuff.
Could the boffins’ new prototype safety system limit the damage done? (Price on application.)
The Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics at the German aerospace agency continues work which has already investigated what happed when a hard, heavy robot bumps into a soft human.
In other science news, here are pictures of Kenneth Crocker, 70, from Burton on Trent, becoming the first patient to feature in a remote heart operation – a huge robot arm is holding a laser beam aimed at his heart.
What happens next?
Story: In Pictures: World’s First Robot Arm Heart Surgery
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File photo dated 28/04/10 of Patient Kenneth Crocker, 70, from Burton on Trent, before the world's first remote heart operation carried out by surgeon Dr Andre Ng, consultant cardiologist at Glenfield Hospital and senior lecturer in cardiovascular sciences at the University of Leicester, using a robot arm.
Posted: 8th, May 2010 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
