Robot incidents in 2020
The Machine Record holds 7 incidents involving commercial robots in 2020, most involving Starship Technologies: 4 where a person was hurt, 1 of them fatal, and 1 that reached a regulator, a recall or a court.
Counts measure what was reported in English and cleared verification, not how many events took place. Fleet sizes are not public, so none of this is a rate. The rules are on the methodology page.
By kind of machine
- Industrial3
- Delivery2
- Consumer1
- Robot arm1
By company
- Starship Technologies2
- iRobot1
By outcome
- serious injury3
- property damage2
- fatality1
- no harm1
Cases
Every case dated 2020
Newest first. Each one links to its timeline and to the sources it rests on.
- 2020-11-09Auto-parts company fined $1.5 million after worker was killed by a robotic armFine
- 2020-11-03iRobot warned owners that certain Roomba i7+ Clean Base docking stations could malfunction and present a hazard if liquids collected by the robot vacuum were deposited into the unit.Report
- 2020-09-16A Starship food delivery robot was flipped over after being involved in an accident with a car at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, prompting students to hold a memorial vigil.Report
- 2020-09-02Employee Incurs Multiple Injuries When Struck By RobotInvestigation
- 2020-07-28A Starship Technologies delivery robot veered into a canal near New Bradwell in Milton Keynes and had to be retrieved by the company.Report
- 2020-02-20Employee Sustains Multiple Injuries When Struck By Robot ShuInvestigation
- 2020-01-09Employee Injures Feet When Repeatedly Struck By Robot PusherInvestigation