Kenji Urada

Kenji Urada (c. 1944 – July 4, 1981) was a Japanese engineer who was killed by a robot. Urada is often said to be the first person killed by a robot,[1][2] but a worker at a Ford Motor Company factory in Michigan by the name of Robert Williams was killed by a robot over two years earlier on January 25, 1979.[3][4][5][6]

Urada was maintenance engineer at a Kawasaki Heavy Industries plant.[7] 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.[1][2] The circumstances of his death were not made public until December 8, after an investigation by the labor standards bureau was completed.[8]

See also

References

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


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