Watched a robot at the Detroit auto show pick a part and drop it on a guy's foot

Honestly, I was at the North American International Auto Show last year checking out the new assembly line demos. A collaborative arm from a company called 'Precision Dynamics' was moving a 15-pound brake rotor, lost its grip, and it fell about three feet. The safety zone was marked, but the guy was just inside it adjusting a sensor. Ngl, it made me think about who's really in charge when the machine decides to let go. Has anyone else seen a close call with a 'safe' robot that changed their mind about this stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

jesse_fisher24d ago

Was it even going fast enough to hurt him?

oscar71224d ago

That video showed the car going at least 25 mph, Jesse_fisher. Even at that speed, a direct hit can cause serious injury like broken bones or a concussion. The force depends on mass and speed, not just how fast it looks. A sedan weighs over a ton, so it doesn't need to be racing to do damage. Do you really think getting hit at that pace wouldn't hurt someone?

the_tessa19d ago

That part about the safety zone is the key thing for me. The line on the floor is just paint, it can't stop a person from leaning in. We program the robot to stop if someone crosses it, but we don't program people to always watch their feet. The machine follows its rules, but human focus drifts, and that's where the real risk is.