autoevolution
 

Tesla Model S on Autopilot Runs Down Promobot, Russians Cry Murder

One day before the official start of the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show, tragedy struck on a road just a few blocks from the Las Vegas Convention Center: an autonomous promotional robot was run down while in the line of duty by a self-driving car.
Moment of impact between Tesla Model S and Promobot 3 photos
Photo: Promobot via Youtube
Post-impact photo of the PromobotMoment of impact between Model S and Promobot
The tragedy occurred at 3000 Paradise Road in Sin City, in the middle of the night, when a white Tesla Model S driving at slow speed apparently clipped the Promobot and sent it tumbling to the ground. The machine’s owners, a Russian company by the same name, claim the robot succumbed to its Autopilot-inflicted injuries.

“Look @elonmusk at a Tesla Model S hitting and killing a guiltless robot in Vegas. Your car was under a full self-driving mode,” says the company in a short statement released on Twitter.

For those unfamiliar with the Promobot, this machine has been built by a team of Russian engineers to act as a... promotional robot. They say several hundred such machines are already deployed in 26 countries around the world, acting as administrators, promoters, hostesses, museum guides, consultants, concierges and so on.

Word is the robot-victim was part of a procession of several other machines heading for the Convention Center where they were supposed to dance and perform some other tricks at their company's event. This one didn’t make it because it got lost somehow from its siblings just before getting run down.

Some claim the images below are nothing more than a publicity stunt, set in motion by Promobot to promote the little known Promobot. That’s because post-crash photos show the robot upright and with its eyes glowing – granted, its gaze does seem a bit off.

Others say this is the start of artificial intelligence Armageddon, jumping to the occasion to highlight the dangers of autonomous driving, especially when it’s being done by Tesla’s Autopilot. After all, we are talking about a Tesla hitting a human-like creature in the middle of the night.

Our take? One chunk of metal scraped another.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Daniel Patrascu
Daniel Patrascu profile photo

Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories