Man Commits Robot-assisted Suicide

Posted 19 Mar 2008 at 20:31 UTC (updated 22 Mar 2008 at 04:55 UTC) by steve

An 81 year old Queensland, Australia man committed suicide with the help of a "robot", or at least an automated machine designed to repeatedly fire a .22 semi-automatic pistol. He set up his robotic device in the driveway in front of his house at 7am in sight of nearby workers. After loading the gun with four bullets he activated the machine. Workers attracted by the shots called police. Only limited details were available about the man's homebrew machine. It's said to have been built from radio-controlled model parts. He based his design on websites that described similar machines built to fire toy guns. Remote-controlled airsoft guns are common. There's even an Instructables step-by-step on building your own RC gun. If you need a more mobile deathbot, try the Vex Air Soft Gun Station (or maybe the Vex Flame Thrower). Death by the indirect action of machines is rare but non unknown. A 2007 Michigan suicide used a self-activated guillotine. Several people have used the two assisted suicide machines created by Jack Kevorkian, the Thanatron and the Mercitron. It's probably a stretch calling any of these machines robots but it makes for a good headline. Fox News even sensationalized it a bit more, titling their story, Man Gunned Down in Driveway by Killer Robot.

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Headlines, posted 20 Mar 2008 at 17:53 UTC by Rog-a-matic » (Master)

What about these headlines:

"Killer robot shoots man dead on driveway" http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23401010-2,00.html

"Suicide Robot Kills Man in Driveway" http://www.switched.com/2008/03/20/suicide-robot-kills-man-in-driveway/

"Man Shot by Killer Robot" http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2008/03/19/9039_gold-coast-top-story.html

I can't find that CNN or NBC, etc has the story yet.

Killer Robots, posted 20 Mar 2008 at 19:26 UTC by steve » (Master)

Ha, Yeah, the two "killer robot" headlines are almost as good as Fox.

'robot', posted 20 Mar 2008 at 20:09 UTC by Rog-a-matic » (Master)

With this kind of definition, a remote-controlled ceiling fan is a robot. In my shop we have a little remote that turns on a vacuum system to suck dust from the chop-off saw. I'm putting a sign on it today 'ROBOTIC DUST SUCKER'.

Robotic Electric Motor Autonomously Turns Shaft - Turns Evil, posted 21 Mar 2008 at 12:38 UTC by The Swirling Brain » (Master)

Be careful, Roger, calling it a "Robotic Dust Sucker" may offend the robot overlord and it may turn into a killer and come after you. Small or absent robotic brains are not to be toyed with. Beware, you've seen what they can do!!!