Break Robots, Not People

"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." — John A. Shedd

Robots aren't built to stay on the gantry either. Ours walk, lift, and fall, and the first humanoid we bought shattered part of its own ankle on its first walk. Anything strong enough to do that can hurt whoever is standing next to it.

So we break robots, often and on purpose. We don't break people.

Anyone Can Hit the Button

Every powered test has an e-stop, and anyone in the room can press it. You don't need seniority, permission, or a reason you can fully explain yet. A stopped test costs us five minutes, and nobody will ever be told off for stopping one or for raising a concern.

Assume It Will Surprise You

New policies, new firmware, fresh builds: a robot will happily do something none of us predicted. So first runs happen on a gantry or harness, and a robot only walks free once it has earned our trust.

If one falls, step back and let it go. Asimov was built to be repaired. Your wrist wasn't.

Near Misses Count

Log every incident, even when nobody got hurt, and share the lesson in #failure-analysis. Safety follows the same rules as any other failure: blameless, but never careless.

No Demo Is Worth It

No investor visit, launch video, or event deadline is worth an injury. If a demo isn't safe, it doesn't run. Visitors get a host and stay behind the line while anything is powered.

The Basics

Everyone does a safety induction before touching a robot, a battery, or the bench, interns and contractors included. Menlo provides whatever protective gear your work needs, free. After that, four habits matter most:

• Two people in the room for every powered test.
• Stay out of the clear zone while a robot is powered.
• Power down and pull the battery before touching joints or wiring.
• Never leave a battery charging unattended.

If Something Goes Wrong

1. Stop the robot and make the area safe, if you can do it without putting yourself at risk.
2. Get help. Call 995 in Singapore (999 for police), 115 in Vietnam (114 for fire), or 911 in the US.
3. Tell your office's Lead straight away.
4. Log it in #failure-analysis within 24 hours.

Reporting to authorities and insurers is on People Ops. Your job is looking after each other.