Kenji Urada
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Kenji Urada (c. 1944 — July 4, 1981) was one of the first persons reported to have been killed by a robot. On July 4, 1981, Urada was employed as a 37-year old maintenance engineer at a Kawasaki Heavy Industries plant. [1] While working on a broken robot, he failed to turn it off completely, resulting in the robot pushing him into a grinding machine with its hydraulic arm. He died as a result.[2][3] The circumstances of his death were not made public until December 8, after an investigation by the labor standards bureau was completed. [4]
Urada is often said to be the first person killed by a robot.[2][3] However, Robert Williams was killed by a robot two years earlier, on January 25, 1979.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ "Killer robot: Japanese worker first victim of technological revolution", Deseret News (Salt Lake City UT), December 8, 1981, p1
- ^ a b Trust me, I'm a robot, The Economist, June 8, 2006; accessed online 6-III-2007.
- ^ a b Smart software helps robots dodge collisions, Duncan Graham-Rowe, article on newscientist.com dated November 3, 2003, accessed 6-III-2007.
- ^ "Robot kills worker", Milwaukee Journal, December 8, 1981, p2
- ^ $10 Million Awarded To Family Of U.S. Plant Worker Killed By Robot", Ottawa Citizen, August 11, 1983, p14
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