Scariest Real-Life Robotic Disasters and Accidents

Samsung nearly sank when it released the faulty Galaxy Note 7 to compete with Apple's iPhone.Users in South Korea reported their phones catching fire and exploding just weeks before the US release in August 2016.Weeks before the August 2016 US release, South Korean users reported their phones catching fire and exploding. This dangerous mistake cost Samsung $26 billion in stock.

The US issued a recall for the Note 7 in September 2016 and again in October 2016 after Samsung sent replacement units with the same issue.

One death by a self-driving car occurred in March 2018.An Uber car struck and killed a female pedestrian. The self-driving system saw a human six seconds before the crash but did not act to stop the collision.March 2018 saw a car owned by Uber hit and kill a female pedestrian. The self-driving system saw a human six seconds before the crash but did not act to stop the collision.

A 22-year-old worked at a Volkswagen factory in Germany in 2015.

Robotic surgeries offer benefits, like smaller incisions leading to faster recovery. 144 deaths have been linked to these procedures over 14 years in the United States.The robot was on an assembly line that could run without a human. It remains unclear if it operated on its own during the incident.Robot surgeons have caused 144 deaths over a 14-year period in the United States.

In 2007, an advanced military machine designed to identify targets for human users malfunctioned in South Africa.

A 22-year-old worked at a Volkswagen factory in Germany in 2015.The Oerlikon GDF-005 spots aircraft. It connects to 35mm guns that can reload automatically. The technology likely jammed, causing many casualties.In 2006, a robot at Alliance Tech Systems pinned a man's head between its robotic arm and factory machinery.

The man likely reached to remove scraps the robot dropped or press its reset button.

In 2007, an advanced military machine designed to target human users malfunctioned.A GPS device caused a man to drive down a semi-demolished bridge in Indiana.An automated cannon in South Africa malfunctioned while targeting. It killed nine people when it started shooting on its own, emptying 250 rounds at a training center.

The Oerlikon GDF-005 spots aircraft. It connects to 35mm guns that can reload automatically. The technology likely jammed and malfunctioned, causing many casualties.

In 2006, a robot at Alliance Tech Systems...pinned a man's head between its robotic arm and company machinery.The man likely reached to remove scraps the robot dropped or press its reset button.

Analysts tested the robot; it showed no memory of malfunctioning on its computer.

A GPS device made a man drive down a semi-demolished bridge.In Indiana, he and his wife plunged almost 40 feet.Driver Iftikhar Hussain survived, but his wife Zohra Hussain died in the 2015 accident.

Iftikhar focused on his GPS unit and missed signs announcing the bridge's closure.

A man at a porcelain factory in Hunan, China, was hospitalized in 2018 after a falling robot arm...The falling robot arm impaled him.The arm impaled him with 10 large metal spikes. The spikes punctured his shoulder, chest, and wrist, leaving him unable to use his right arm.

Each spike measured 11 inches long; one spike narrowly missed an artery.

A robot...puncturedA can of bear repellent, made with chili pepper extract, hit 54 workers in a New Jersey warehouse in December 2018. The repellent caused breathing problems and a burning feeling in the throats of some workers.

Around 25 people were hospitalized following the incident. One worker ended up in critical condition.

In 2015, a robot killed Wanda Holbrook, who managed machine inspections.Wanda Holbrook managed machine inspections.She managed inspections and maintenance at a stamping and molding company in Michigan.The incident occurred at a stamping and molding company in Michigan.The robot entered an unauthorized area and malfunctioned. It tried to put a hitch assembly where one already existed, crushing Holbrook.

A coworker found Holbrook not moving. Emergency responders declared her dead at the scene.

Robert Williams gathered parts at a Ford factory in Flat Rock, MI, in 1979. A robot arm struck him fatally. The safety measure failed to sound an alarm near the robot.The safety measure failed.

A jury awarded Williams's family $10 million in damages. The jury found Ford failed to protect Williams.

The Cooper family visited.The Cooper family visited.The Cooper family visited Death Valley in the summer of 2010. Their GPS device sent them down a dirt path. The family was missing for three days but survived the desert.

One mother and son got lost for five days because their GPS misdirected them. The boy died before authorities found them, and his mother barely survived.

At a church in Glogau, Germany, an automaton struck a man.An automaton fatally struck a visitor in 1876.In 1876, a visitor observed automatons equipped with hammers at a church. These machines struck a bell every hour. The visitor was surprised by the sound of an automaton striking the bell while he inspected the machinery.

The man leaped backward into another automaton's hammer swing, which killed him.