His family was awarded $10 million in compensation in 1984, a record at the time.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works .
(Image credit: Joe Clark ) Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 1 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Though killer robots are a favorite subject in science fiction, it is a shocking tragedy when humans are killed by robots in the real-world. Today marks the anniversary of what is widely regarded as the first case of a death of a human caused by a robot . On this day in 1979, Ford Motor Company factory worker Robert Williams was crushed, and killed instantly by a robotic arm , while doing his job.
Williams was just 25 years old when he became the first human casualty of the robotic advance into factory production environments. The unfortunate incident occurred at Ford’s casting plant in Flat Rock, Michigan.
Reports about the historic incident indicate that Williams was asked by another production team member to climb up to a shelf where castings were stored by robotic arms. The request was precipitated by the robot reporting “what seemed like erroneous information on the number of parts on the shelves,” says a New York Times article covering the ensuing lawsuit . Climbing up would likely have been concerning for the young factory worker, as the robot arm serviced shelves five stories high.
Stressed-out AI-powered robot vacuum cleaner goes into meltdown during simple butter delivery experiment
Manufacturer issues remote kill command to nuke smart vacuum after engineer blocks it from collecting data
Robotics and world models are AI's next frontier, and China is already ahead of the West
Then tragedy struck. The robotic arm of a one-ton cart unit, responsible for putting castings onto shelves and taking them off, swung into action, hitting Williams on the head. Some other reports on the incident note that Williams died instantly from being struck by the robot.
It would take about three and a half years and a court case to win $10 million in compensation to the family of Robert Williams. The winning lawyer warned the court that “we have to be very careful that we don't go backwards to the kind of notions we had during the industrial revolution that people are expendable.” This was the largest ever compensation payout in the state of Michigan, at the time.
While Williams was an unfortunate first, he wouldn’t be the last person to be killed by an errant robot. There have been several factory-based cases since this one.
Additionally, as we approach half a century later, we live in troubled times when robotic, artificial intelligence packing drones are being developed and rapidly refined to battle on land, sea , and air. They readily destroy other robots, vehicles, buildings, or kill their human targets.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/maker-stem/robot-kits/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/maker-stem/robot-kits/american-factory-worker-robert-williams-became-the-first-human-to-be-killed-by-a-robot-on-this-day-in-1979-man-crushed-by-a-robots-mechanical-arm-at-the-ford-plant-in-flat-rock#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
- ‘Largest Infrastructure Buildout in Human History’: Jensen Huang on AI’s ‘Five-Layer Cake’ at Davos
- Open-source Intel 486 mobo built from scratch in under 6 months for i486 chips — M8SBC-486's goal was to achieve Linux and Doom compatibility, but it achieves f
- Our favorite gaming headset gets a 50% price cut for a limited time — Razer's BlackShark V2 Pro (2023) drops to $100
- Open-source Intel 486 mobo built from scratch in under 6 months for i486 chips — M8SBC-486's goal was to achieve Linux and Doom compatibility, but it achieves f
- Suspicious DJI clones appear on the market after the FCC banned foreign-made drones — Xtra and Skyrover drones look awfully familiar
Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.