Robot vacuum cleaner attack in South Korea puts humans on notice
Although some believe the first human casualties of the oft-imagined robot apocalypse will be factory workers, it turns out that the machine revolt may begin in the home, that is, if accidents count.
Paramedics were reportedly called to save a woman in South Korea recently after her hair became trapped in the unrelenting mechanized maw of a robotic vacuum cleaner, a device that is now used by millions around the world.
The problem arose when the 52-year-old woman from Changwon city somehow forgot to disable the device before going to sleep in a futon on the floor. After failing to free herself from the clutches of the robot servant, she called the fire department to come to her aid, after which paramedics freed her from the jaws of the tiny automaton. Despite the harrowing entanglement, she managed to avoid any serious injury, according to the Guardian.
Currently, the best-known robotic vacuum cleaner in the U.S. is the Roomba, from iRobot. According to the company website, iRobot has sold over 10 million robotic vacuum cleaners to date, putting it firmly in the lead of this category of robotic helpers. Search YouTube or Vine and you’ll find hundreds of videos of users showing off their Roombas in action.
However, the unfortunate incident in South Korea did not involve one of iRobot’s devices.
”
The robotic vacuum cleaner that got tangled in the hair of a woman from Changwon, South Korea is not a Roomba
The robotic vacuum cleaner that got tangled in the hair of a woman from Changwon, South Korea is not a Roomba,” iRobot spokesperson Charlie Vaida told Mashable. “The safety of our customers is paramount for iRobot, and all of the company’s products undergo strict development processes and testing before going to market. This includes technologies that prevent tangling and safety mechanisms in Roomba that deactivate its cleaning system when it is not placed on the ground.”
So, safe for now, right? Maybe.
The aforementioned story might seem like a freak accident, but in many places in Asia, including South Korea and Japan, sleeping on a hard, faux wood floor in a futon is actually quite common. Therefore, the South Korea incident may not be the first time such a thing has happened in the region. The question moving forward is: Is this the first hint of potential future problems with robotic assistants?
Much has been made of placing robotic nurses in senior citizen homes in aging countries like Japan. Similarly, a number of companies are working on giving the children of the future robotic playmates. But when the robot’s sensors don’t recognize that it’s hurting you, what was a robotic boon could, over time, evolve into a safety issue.
All we know for sure, at this point, is that if you have a Roomba, according to the company, you’re safe from hungry robots with an appetite for human hair. Nevertheless, with scores of electronics knockoffs continuing to produce fake iPhones and knockoff Roombas alike, the time has come when we actually have to consider what kind of robots we allow into our homes — welcome to the future.
malikmuddser