Robot incidents in 2026
The Machine Record holds 86 incidents involving commercial robots in 2026, most involving Waymo: 43 where a person was hurt, 3 of them fatal, and 8 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 86 cases dated 2026 are spread over 10 months, with May 2026 the busiest at 15. The newest case is dated 2026-10-10: Cologne police seized a Unitree humanoid robot and investigated two suspects after the robot allegedly groped a 16-year-old girl during a livestreamed incident on October 10, 2026, according to Cologne Police.
Waymo accounts for 39 of the 86 cases (45%), followed by Tesla with 4; 14 cases name no company. By kind of machine, autonomous vehicles make up 60% of the set, ahead of humanoid robots (12). Most cases are placed in the United States (54), with 11 other countries represented.
In 35% of the cases someone was slightly hurt. 43 cases (50%) record a person hurt, 3 of them fatal. The most common type of event is collision (43). 11 cases (13%) went beyond the first report to an investigation, a regulator, a recall, a fine or a court.
By company
By outcome
Cases
Every case dated 2026
Newest first. Each one links to its timeline and to the sources it rests on.
- 2026-10-10Cologne police seized a Unitree humanoid robot and investigated two suspects after the robot allegedly groped a 16-year-old girl during a livestreamed incident on October 10, 2026, according to Cologne Police.Investigation
- 2026-09-25An iamo autonomous taxi struck a ground plate during a test drive in Dänikon, damaging the plate and two tires.Report
- 2026-09-25A Zoox robotaxi collided with a silver Nissan Murano on Las Vegas Boulevard near Four Seasons Drive on September 25, 2026, sending the Murano driver to a hospital with minor upper-body injuries.Report
- 2026-09-06Autonomous community bus 'Kurulin' in Fukaya, Saitama collided with a roadside fence and bus stop sign on 6 September 2026, causing property damage but no injuries.Report
- 2026-09-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with other fixed object in Houston, TX, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-08-02A patrolling robot was damaged after falling down a staircase at Hong Kong airport.Report
- 2026-08-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with passenger car in Atlanta, GA, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-08-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with suv in Dallas, TX, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-08-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with non-motorist: pedestrian in Dallas, TX, reported to NHTSA as a fatalityReport
- 2026-07-30AI humanoid robot collapsed during a live demonstration in Taiwan, video went viral.Report
- 2026-07-26Qualcomm's new AI robot collapsed and malfunctioned during an on-stage demonstrationFollow-up
- 2026-07-25A DoorDash delivery robot wandered into an active SWAT operation and refused to leaveFollow-up
- 2026-07-21A fire believed to have been sparked by a robot vacuum broke out at a Hanyang Apartments unit in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, forcing more than 20 residents to evacuate and requiring 133 firefighting personnel to extinguish; one resident suffered dizziness from smoke inhalation.Investigation
- 2026-07-17During the opening night of the URKL humanoid robot combat tournament in Shenzhen, an EngineAI T800 robot named 'Matador' had its head knocked off by opponent 'White Eagle' and was knocked out of the fight.Report
- 2026-07-15GM Cruise robotaxi injury lawsuit sent to arbitration due to sign-in wrap agreementReport
- 2026-07-03A robot vacuum exploded at a home in Brabham, Perth, critically burning a 25-year-old man over approximately 75% of his body and destroying the property.Follow-up
- 2026-07-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with suv in Atlanta, GA, reported to NHTSA as moderate w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-07-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with bus in San Francisco, CA, reported to NHTSA as moderate w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-07-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with suv in Washington, DC, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-06-20Zoox recalled software on all 105 robotaxis after one vehicle drove into an active fire scene obscured by heavy smoke in Las Vegas on June 20, 2026.Recall
- 2026-06-18Waymo recalled approximately 3,900 robotaxis after 13 known incidents in which vehicles drove into closed freeway construction zones in Phoenix, Arizona, and the San Francisco Bay Area, prompting a voluntary software recall filed with NHTSA.Recall
- 2026-06-11A Daxbot sidewalk robot being directed through a crosswalk by a human operator was struck and damaged by a truck making a right turn at the intersection of West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and North Palace Avenue in Tyler, Texas.Report
- 2026-06-10Tesla's robotaxi service reported to have long waits and stalled rides during operationReport
- 2026-06-05Humanoid robot kicks a child during a public performance in Xinjiang, ChinaFollow-up
- 2026-06-03CNN analysis of government records and social media videos found hundreds of incidents in which Waymo robotaxis made dangerous maneuvers including running red lights, driving into oncoming traffic and flooded roads, and coming within inches of pedestrians across multiple US cities.Report
- 2026-06-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Zeekr Rt) was involved in a crash with non-motorist: scooter - skateboard in Los Angeles, CA, reported to NHTSA as moderate w/o hospitalizationReport
- 2026-06-01A Zoox autonomous vehicle (Zoox Zoox) was involved in a crash with pickup truck in Las Vegas, NV, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-06-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with suv in Los Angeles, CA, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-05-20A Unitree humanoid robot fell twice while performing Michael Jackson's moonwalk at an event organized by robot store Future Era in Shenzhen, China, and had to be dragged off stage by staff.Follow-up
- 2026-05-17An unoccupied Waymo robotaxi struck a guard gate barrier arm at the entrance of a condo community in Miami-Dade County; no injuries were reported.Report
- 2026-05-15Dunedin robotics company charged following a worker's death involving a robotCriminal charge
- 2026-05-15Tesla unredacted 17 autonomous driving crash reports filed with NHTSA covering incidents from July 2025 through March 2026 in Austin, Texas, revealing that of the crashes involving its Robotaxi fleet, 13 resulted in property damage only, 2 had no injuries, 1 involved a minor injury without hospitalization, and 1 involved a minor injury requiring hospitalization.Report
- 2026-05-13Waymo recalled approximately 3,800 robotaxis due to a software failure that caused vehicles to drive into flooded roads.Recall
- 2026-05-13An Uber Eats food delivery robot designed by Avride entered a crosswalk against a stop signal in Philadelphia and was struck by a truck, dislodging one of its wheels before the robot continued on.Report
- 2026-05-12Waymo recalled 3,791 robotaxis after an unoccupied vehicle drove into a flooded road in San Antonio, Texas, and was swept into a creek, a software flaw that let the cars enter standing water.Recall
- 2026-05-08A 22-year-old trainee engineer, Ramanjaneyulu, was fatally injured after being caught in a robotic arm at NPH Industries, a Kia ancillary unit in Penukonda, Andhra Pradesh.Report
- 2026-05-02A Unitree humanoid robot malfunctioned during a festive performance in a Beijing park, aggressively flailing its limbs near human dancers until organizers powered it down.Report
- 2026-05-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with passenger car in Santa Monica, CA, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-05-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Zeekr Rt) was involved in a crash with pickup truck in Los Angeles, CA, reported to NHTSA as moderate w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-05-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with passenger car in Los Angeles, CA, reported to NHTSA as moderate w/o hospitalizationReport
- 2026-05-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with pickup truck in Phoenix, AZ, reported to NHTSA as moderate w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-05-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with passenger car in Inglewood, CA, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-05-01A Tesla remote operator, while attempting to maneuver an autonomous Model Y out of a dead-end residential road in Houston, drove the vehicle into a hidden tree stump at 2 mph, causing minor property damage.Report
- 2026-04-28During its public unveiling in Kyoto, the humanoid robot prototype SEIMEI suffered a leg component malfunction just before the presentation, preventing any walking demonstration.Report
- 2026-04-26A dancing humanoid robot at a university sports event in Shaanxi, China suddenly turned and hugged a female dancer beside it before staff intervened and pulled it away.Follow-up
- 2026-04-20A Waymo robotaxi drove into floodwater in San Antonio on April 20, 2026, prompting a voluntary recall of 3,791 vehicles for a software defect.Recall
- 2026-04-18A video compilation shows multiple delivery robot incidents, including a Coco Robotics bot struck by a train, a Starship Technologies robot disrupting a marching band in Tennessee, a Coco bot dragged by a car in Los Angeles, another Coco bot falling down stairs, and a Serve Robotics bot left with a damaged tire after a collision.Report
- 2026-04-09Wybotics Recalls Robotic Pool Vacuums Due to Burn and Fire HazardsRecall
- 2026-04-05A Waymo robotaxi entered a drive-thru the wrong way in Los Angeles, causing concern for a waiting passenger's family before the vehicle stopped and the passenger boarded.Report
- 2026-04-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with suv in San Francisco, CA, reported to NHTSA as moderate w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-04-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with suv in San Francisco, CA, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-04-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with suv in Los Angeles, CA, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-04-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with pickup truck in Atlanta, GA, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-04-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with motorcycle in Atlanta, GA, reported to NHTSA as moderate w/o hospitalizationReport
- 2026-04-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with suv in Los Angeles, CA, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-04-01A May Mobility autonomous vehicle (Toyota Sienna) was involved in a crash with other, see narrative in Atlanta, GA, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-04-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with suv in Los Angeles, CA, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-03-31Uber Eats delivery robots were vandalised in a Sheffield suburbReport
- 2026-03-31A system malfunction caused multiple Baidu Apollo Go driverless robotaxis to stall in the middle of roads in Wuhan, leaving passengers stranded for hours, with police confirming the incident after receiving numerous calls on Tuesday night.Follow-up
- 2026-03-25During a public robot dance show in Shaanxi, China, a humanoid robot performing a spinning routine swung its arm outward and struck a young boy standing near the stage.Report
- 2026-03-25A Waymo robotaxi stalled during a wildfire near I-280 and was moved to safety by the California Highway Patrol.Report
- 2026-03-23A Serve Robotics food delivery robot crashed into and shattered the glass of a CTA bus shelter at Grand and Racine in Chicago's West Town neighborhood, with no injuries reported.Follow-up
- 2026-03-17Reporter trapped inside a self-driving robotaxi during an anti-robot protest attack on the vehicle.Report
- 2026-03-17A service robot at what social media users claimed was a Haidilao hotpot restaurant in China malfunctioned, knocking plates off a counter and swinging its arms erratically while a staff member attempted to restrain it.Follow-up
- 2026-03-11An unoccupied Waymo robotaxi stopped between a railroad crossing arm and the tracks in Texas, remaining stationary as a train passed within inches of the vehicle.Report
- 2026-03-02A Waymo driverless vehicle blocked a road for more than a minute near an active mass shooting scene in Austin, causing an ambulance to turn around, though Austin-Travis County EMS said it did not believe the obstruction had an impact on patient outcomes.Regulator action
- 2026-03-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with suv in Inglewood, CA, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-03-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with pickup truck in Austin, TX, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-03-01A Waymo robotaxi became stuck perpendicular across a road while executing a U-turn during an active shooter incident in Austin, Texas, blocking an ambulance and requiring a police officer to manually drive it away.Follow-up
- 2026-02-27Waymo robotaxis were involved in an accident on their first day of operations in Charlotte.Report
- 2026-02-21A software engineer inadvertently discovered a security vulnerability in DJI's backend servers that granted him access to live camera feeds, microphone audio, floor maps, and status data from nearly 7,000 DJI Romo robot vacuums across 24 countries.Report
- 2026-02-20A Coco food delivery robot uprooted a garden, became entangled in a fence, and dragged the fencing down the street in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, causing property damage to a resident's yard.Report
- 2026-02-18A Unitree G1 humanoid robot lost its balance while performing in front of a crowd in China, flailed its limbs during a recovery attempt, and kicked a man (apparently its operator) in the nose, causing bleeding and a possible fracture.Report
- 2026-02-17Tesla's Robotaxi fleet in Austin accumulated 14 crashes since June 2025, including one July 2025 incident later upgraded to require hospitalization, with the fleet crashing at approximately four times the rate of human drivers by Tesla's own benchmark.Follow-up
- 2026-02-05Robot glitch at Honda factory caused vehicles to be assembled with loose driver's seats, leading to a recallReport
- 2026-02-05A robotic vacuum cleaner's lithium battery caught fire inside a Miami Gardens home, resulting in a 20-year-old man being airlifted to hospital with injuries.Report
- 2026-02-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with van in San Francisco, CA, reported to NHTSA as moderate w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-02-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with passenger car in San Francisco, CA, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-02-01XPeng Motors' humanoid robot IRON fell face-first onto a stage during its first public appearance at a shopping mall in southern China.Follow-up
- 2026-01-23A driverless Waymo robotaxi struck a child who had stepped into the street from behind an SUV during morning drop-off outside a Santa Monica elementary school, resulting in minor injuries.Investigation
- 2026-01-23An ambulance transporting a patient to a hospital collided with an automated food delivery cart at the intersection of Western and Fountain avenues in Hollywood, causing no additional injuries but requiring the patient to be transferred to a second ambulance.Follow-up
- 2026-01-15An Uber Eats delivery robot became stuck on railroad tracks in Miami and was struck and destroyed by an oncoming train on January 15, 2026, with no injuries reported.Follow-up
- 2026-01-07Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid robot performed a backflip during a CES 2026 demonstration in Las Vegas, landing successfully but losing its hand in the process.Report
- 2026-01-01A Waymo autonomous vehicle (Jaguar I-Pace) was involved in a crash with passenger car in Los Angeles, CA, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-01-01A Avride Inc. autonomous vehicle (Hyundai Ioniq 5) was involved in a crash with passenger car in Dallas, TX, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
- 2026-01-01A May Mobility autonomous vehicle (Toyota Sienna) was involved in a crash with other fixed object in Atlanta, GA, reported to NHTSA as minor w/ hospitalizationReport
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.