Kenji Urada

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Kenji Urada (c. 1944 — July 4, 1981) was a Japanese engineer who was one of the first persons reported to have been killed by a robot.

Urada was 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, a worker at a Ford Motor Company factory in Michigan, was killed by a robot two years earlier, on January 25, 1979.[5][6][7][8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Killer robot: Japanese worker first victim of technological revolution", Deseret News (Salt Lake City UT), December 8, 1981, p1
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Trust me, I'm a robot, The Economist, June 8, 2006; accessed online 6-III-2007.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Smart software helps robots dodge collisions, Duncan Graham-Rowe, article on newscientist.com dated November 3, 2003, accessed 6-III-2007.
  4. ↑ "Robot kills worker", Milwaukee Journal, December 8, 1981, p2
  5. ↑ Robot firm liable in death, Tim Kiska, The Oregonian, August 11, 1983.
  6. ↑ Death on the job: Jury awards $10 million to heirs of man killed by robot at auto plant, Tim Kiska, Philadelphia Inquirer, August 11, 1983.
  7. ↑ Death-by-robot yields award of $15 million, Philadelphia Inquirer, January 14, 1984.
  8. ↑ $10 Million Awarded To Family Of U.S. Plant Worker Killed By Robot", Ottawa Citizen, August 11, 1983, p14


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