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The Guardian reported on the 24th (local time) that a chess-playing robot broke the finger of a 7-year-old boy during a game in Moscow last week, citing Russian media.
The accident occurred on the 19th, and according to a video released on the Telegram channel of the Russian media Bazaar, the robot ran as if shaken by the boy’s sudden action and grabbed the boy’s finger tightly and did not let go.
When the machine did not let go of the boy’s hand, four adults around him gathered to help the boy. After ten seconds or so, the boy could barely pull his finger out.
The Moscow Chess Federation said the boy had failed to wait his turn and reacted prematurely before the machine had finished moving, saying the boy had disregarded safety rules for robot warfare.
In addition, the robot has been used in many public competitions before, and it is the first time such an accident has occurred and there is no problem with the machine.
The boy’s name is Christopher, and he is said to be one of the top 30 Moscow Under-9 chess players.
Christopher had a cast on his finger, and luckily, it is said that he did not appear to have suffered a shock from the accident. The boy continued to play the next day and finished successfully participating in the competition.
However, the boy’s parents are said to have contacted local prosecutors regarding the incident.
The Guardian reported that the boy’s lack of understanding of how industrial robots work was a major cause of the accident.