ROBERT WILLIAMS (ROBOT FATALITY)

'Robert Williams' (''c.'' 1954 – January 25, 1979) was a worker at a Ford Motor Company factory in Michigan who became one of the first individuals to be killed by a robot.^[1],[2],[3] According to press reports:

A jury has ordered the manufacturer of a one-ton robot that killed a worker at a Ford Motor Co. plant to pay the man's family $10 million. The Wayne County Circuit Court jury deliberated for 2 1/2 hours Tuesday before announcing the decision against Unit Handling Systems, a division of Litton Industries. The suit was brought by the family of Robert Williams, who was killed Jan. 25, 1979, at a casting plant in Flat Rock, Mich.²

Williams's death may be significant to the history and development of roboethics.
Despite the fact that he was killed later, Kenji Urada who died in 1981, is often cited as the first person killed by a robot.

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References

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References

1. Robot firm liable in death, Tim Kiska, ''The Oregonian'', August 11, 1983. See [1], ROBOT FIRM LIABLE IN DEATH.
2. Death on the job: Jury awards million to heirs of man killed by robot at auto plant, Tim Kiska, ''Philadelphia Inquirer'', August 11, 1983.
3. Death-by-robot yields award of million, ''Philadelphia Inquirer'', January 14, 1984.

External links

★ The Legal Rights of Robots

★ New Scientist article

★ Economist article