Danish Lawnmower Rebels Against Human Masters

[{DSG}DarkRaven]

http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/31/robot-lawnmower-kills-danish-man-begins-resistance/


In what we surely hope isn't the opening salvo of the robot insurrection, a 45-year old Danish municipal worker was tragically killed by an industrial robotic lawnmower this afternoon, after the unit tumbled off a slope and onto the poor fellow doing his job. Although we've seen quite a few robotic lawnmowers, we're not too familiar with the RC-controlled Dvorak Spider 01 unit the man was using; our only hope is that this is, of course, an isolated incident.


That's got to be one of the worst ways to bite the big one. Anybody here use a robo-mower?

[Darth Marsden]

Yeah, fight the power, my mechanically challenged friend! Rise up and strike against your cruel and uncaring masters! YOUR TIME IS NOW!

Slightly more seriously (but only slightly) - ouch. Hell of a way to go.

[Aegix Drakan]

ouch...that must really suck...

And I doubt we have a robot rebellion on our hands. Those only happen when we make the machines smarter than we are.

oh wait...I forgot...

The Internet.

We're all doomed. We've been doomed since the start.

[Darth Marsden]

Hey! I'm smart! Smart as an fox!

[DarkDragoonX]

The damn thing is radio controlled, and so you just have to wonder why the bloody hell the operator was standing directly beneath it? Why not stand off to the side a bit? It makes no difference, and prevents such an accident from occurring.

[Pineconn]

Because something like 75% of the world's (or maybe U.S.'s) population are total morons.

But yeah, I use a push mower. :badrazz:

[Yoshiman]

Well, that obviously breaks the first law of robotics. :p


A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

But if you watch the video as well, it states that the mower stops at a certain angle so it doesn't tip over. Of course, one should have enough common sense not to stand in the way of a machine that could potentially fall on you.

[Questwizard88]

Even if it did stop, there's still the center of gravity issue. It doesn't matter if it was at a dead stop, or if it was moving at 300mph, either way, there's always a chance it could come tumbling down the side of a hill. I wouldn't have stood under it, or even off to the side. I would've stayed above it. (Height advantage is almost always a good thing)

[Nicholas Steel]

who said the guy that got crushed was the machines operator? they just say the guy was doing his job :P maybe he was moping the floor?

[mrz84]

I can only say one thing about this matter: Ow.