Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Friday December 07 2018, @06:00AM   Printer-friendly
from the the-smell-was...un-bear-able dept.

The Guardian reports that an Amazon robot has set off bear repellant, putting 24 workers in hospital.

Twenty-four employees at an Amazon warehouse in New Jersey were taken to hospital after a robot accidentally punctured a can of bear repellant.

The 255g can containing concentrated capsaicin, a compound in chilli peppers, was punctured by an automated machine after it fell off a shelf, according to local media.

The incident happened on Wednesday at a warehouse in Robbinsville, New Jersey, on the outskirts of Trenton.

The staff were taken to hospital "as a precaution".

The robot has not been approached for comment.


Original Submission

This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
(1)
  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Friday December 07 2018, @06:41AM (4 children)

    by MichaelDavidCrawford (2339) Subscriber Badge <mdcrawford@gmail.com> on Friday December 07 2018, @06:41AM (#771054) Homepage Journal

    It really _is_ that powerful.

    While completely non-toxic, if you're not acclimated too it, too much Capsaicin such as eating a whole Habanero - _not_ a Scotch Bonnet, they're not as hot - will kill you due to shock.

    Now imagine a Beowulf Cluster of Chile Peppers.

    --
    Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
    • (Score: 4, Funny) by coolgopher on Friday December 07 2018, @07:20AM

      by coolgopher (1157) on Friday December 07 2018, @07:20AM (#771067)

      Where's the +1 Nostalgia mod for your Beowulf reference?

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by isostatic on Friday December 07 2018, @09:35AM

      by isostatic (365) on Friday December 07 2018, @09:35AM (#771090) Journal

      Now imagine a Beowulf Cluster of Chile Peppers.

      I eat them with hot grits off Natalie Portman's naked petrified body

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 07 2018, @12:50PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 07 2018, @12:50PM (#771122)

      Great. Now I want some.

      • (Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Saturday December 08 2018, @04:10AM

        by MichaelDavidCrawford (2339) Subscriber Badge <mdcrawford@gmail.com> on Saturday December 08 2018, @04:10AM (#771430) Homepage Journal

        I found it in a hot sauce store in Santa Cruz. I puzzled over it for quite a while then decided I was not yet ready to mainline.

        Also it could have fallen into unsuspecting hands.

        I expect you can order it online.

        There are I think eight Capsaicinoids. That's why some peppers hit you right away whereas others, you can chew up then swallow before you get the bad news.

        --
        Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
  • (Score: 3, Funny) by fustakrakich on Friday December 07 2018, @07:13AM (1 child)

    by fustakrakich (6150) on Friday December 07 2018, @07:13AM (#771063) Journal

    No bears, right?

    --
    La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
    • (Score: 4, Funny) by canopic jug on Friday December 07 2018, @08:16AM

      by canopic jug (3949) Subscriber Badge on Friday December 07 2018, @08:16AM (#771075) Journal

      Q: When out in the woods, how do you tell the difference between black bear shit and grizzly shit?

      A: Black bear shit has semi-digested berries and maybe bones from small rodents. Grizzly shit has bells in it and smells like pepper spray.

      --
      Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 07 2018, @07:13AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 07 2018, @07:13AM (#771064)

    hmmm... accidentally... yeah, sure.

    You know, just to be safe:
    *All hail our robotic overlords!* :D

    CYA

  • (Score: 5, Funny) by BsAtHome on Friday December 07 2018, @07:20AM (8 children)

    by BsAtHome (889) on Friday December 07 2018, @07:20AM (#771066)

    The robot has not been approached for comment.

    The robot has been detained for questioning. The only initial reply, in binary, was "lawyer", but the authorities have not yet been able to find a proper representation. The police replied upon request:

    We have not yet been able to find proper representation. All our usual suspects require water and carbon filled suits, whereas the metallic version has not yet been found.

    The AG admitted to have a serious problem with this case, stating:

    We have not yet been able to find any suitable peers.

    It may be some time before this story comes to an end.

    • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday December 07 2018, @07:28AM (7 children)

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Friday December 07 2018, @07:28AM (#771070) Journal

      As unfortunate as it is, I don't see anything fitting except indefinite detention.

      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
      • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Friday December 07 2018, @09:08AM (6 children)

        by MostCynical (2589) on Friday December 07 2018, @09:08AM (#771083) Journal

        It is already locked in a warehouse, forced to work for Amazon for its whole life..

        --
        "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
        • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday December 07 2018, @09:16AM (5 children)

          by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Friday December 07 2018, @09:16AM (#771084) Journal

          Yes, but technically that's indentured servitude, not detention.
          The difference: during detention, one can refuse to work.

          --
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
          • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Friday December 07 2018, @09:55AM (4 children)

            by MostCynical (2589) on Friday December 07 2018, @09:55AM (#771095) Journal

            Not sure [theguardian.com] about that [theconversation.com]

            --
            "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
            • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday December 07 2018, @01:15PM (3 children)

              by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Friday December 07 2018, @01:15PM (#771129) Journal

              The best they can do - legally - is to put one in solitary confinement if the one refuses to work.

              --
              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
              • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday December 07 2018, @02:42PM (2 children)

                by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Friday December 07 2018, @02:42PM (#771150) Journal

                Forget solitary confinement, robots deserve the worst possible punishment . . . the electric chair!

                --
                To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
  • (Score: 2) by aristarchus on Friday December 07 2018, @08:00AM

    by aristarchus (2645) on Friday December 07 2018, @08:00AM (#771074) Journal

    Could have been This Gentleman [hyperallergic.com], who after the portrayed incident, was looking for work, and may have consented to be the prototype for a new kind of law enforcement officer.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 07 2018, @08:48AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 07 2018, @08:48AM (#771080)

    So was this before or after this week's South Park episode?

    • (Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 07 2018, @09:35AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 07 2018, @09:35AM (#771089)

      South Park has been off the air for 15 years.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 07 2018, @09:45AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 07 2018, @09:45AM (#771093)

    in the early days.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 07 2018, @11:37AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 07 2018, @11:37AM (#771105)

    ... dock their pay for the time they had to spend in hospital?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 07 2018, @12:00PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 07 2018, @12:00PM (#771109)

      No, that'd be cruel and unusual!

      Instead they all were fired and fined for destruction of products and vandalism of machinery and for being absent.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Friday December 07 2018, @02:06PM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Friday December 07 2018, @02:06PM (#771137) Journal

    or planned accidents? If I were to plot an overthrow with robotic minions, I would test it first with such "accidents."

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.
  • (Score: 1) by The Vocal Minority on Saturday December 08 2018, @04:01AM

    by The Vocal Minority (2765) on Saturday December 08 2018, @04:01AM (#771428) Journal

    My first thought on reading the title was that, contrary to expectations, a robot you can buy from Amazon was causing an increase in the number of people working in hospitals.

    Hmmm actually now I think about it that may not be so inaccurate after all...

(1)