Three German researchers ran a study to see what would happen if
a robot played with knives around humans (creepy, gross, audio-
less video after the cut). Shockingly, they found out giving
robots knives could result in lethal injuries to humans.
Noooooo. Surely not. The tests involved a robot arm weighing
14kg and a 1.1m reach that was equipped with a variety of bladed
household tools including a steak knife, kitchen knife, scissors
and screwdriver. The robot arm was programmed to use the bladed
tools to stab and cut a silicone lump, a leg from a dead pig and
the arm of a human volunteer. [BBC via Arbroath] They didn’t
involve the human volunteer until after turning on the collision
detection system they designed. It uses torque sensors to alert
the robot to stop when it hits a different substance. Meaning
you get a tiny puncture wound instead of a new giant hole for
the robots to store all their Styx cassettes in. (Robots love
“Mr. Roboto”.) Ah, robot, I see you’ve played knifey spoony
before.