Robot incidents in 2021
The Machine Record holds 10 incidents involving commercial robots in 2021, most involving Boston Dynamics: 4 where a person was hurt, 2 of them fatal, and 2 that reached a regulator, a recall or a court.
Counts measure what was reported in the press the register reads 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.
Reading the numbers
The 10 cases dated 2021 are spread over 6 months, with January 2021 the busiest at 2 and 6 months without a case. The newest case is dated 2021-10-29: Zimmer surgical robot subject to Class I recall due to a software glitch.
Boston Dynamics accounts for 1 of the 10 cases (10%), followed by Intuitive Surgical with 1; 4 cases name no company. By kind of machine, surgical robots make up 30% of the set, ahead of industrial robots (2). Most cases are placed in the United States (5), with 1 other country represented.
In 40% of the cases property was damaged. 4 cases (40%) record a person hurt, 2 of them fatal. The most common type of event is injury (2). 4 cases (40%) went beyond the first report to an investigation, a regulator, a recall, a fine or a court.
By kind of machine
By outcome
Every case dated 2021
Newest first. Each one links to its timeline and to the sources it rests on.
- 2021-10-29Zimmer surgical robot subject to Class I recall due to a software glitch.Recall
- 2021-10-28A Pony.ai autonomous vehicle operating in driverless mode struck a center divider and traffic sign on Fremont Blvd in Fremont, California, sustaining moderate damage with no injuries reported.Report
- 2021-09-01A da Vinci surgical robot allegedly burned and tore a patient's small intestine during colon cancer surgery in Florida in September 2021, leading to additional procedures and her death in February 2022, prompting a wrongful death lawsuit against Intuitive Surgical.Lawsuit
- 2021-09-01A Starship Technologies autonomous delivery robot was struck by a Ford Escape at the University of Kentucky, damaging the robot's wheels, while it appeared to have the right of way.Report
- 2021-07-20Three warehouse robots collided on top of an automated grid system at Ocado's Erith facility, causing a fire that damaged part of the grid and forced thousands of order cancellations.Report
- 2021-07-14Hospitals sue surgical robot maker over allegedly restrictive contractsReport
- 2021-04-08Employee Incurs Concussion When Struck By Robotic ArmInvestigation
- 2021-02-24During the 'Spot's Rampage' interactive art exhibit in a Brooklyn studio, a Boston Dynamics Spot robot equipped with a paintball gun malfunctioned and collapsed on its side approximately one hour after users began remotely controlling it to destroy artwork inside the space.Report
- 2021-01-14Employee Is Killed When Caught In Between Okura Robotic PallInvestigation
- 2021-01-01A Tesla software engineer was attacked by a robot at Tesla's Giga Texas factory in Austin when a third robot that had not been disabled pinned him and sank its metal claws into his back and arm, causing lacerations.Follow-up
New cases, once a week, by email
Every case added to the register in the last seven days, with its sources. Free, no account, and the register is the only sender.