{"id":"8922d2c9-a1b7-4650-b857-7aab1ec7fc6b","slug":"kawasaki-kenji-urada-robot-fatality-1981","kind":"injury","headline":"Kenji Urada killed by a Kawasaki robot arm after entering the work envelope, Akashi, Japan (1981)","summary":"In 1981 maintenance worker Kenji Urada was killed at a Kawasaki Heavy Industries plant in Akashi, Japan when he climbed over a safety fence to service a malfunctioning robot without fully powering it down; the hydraulic arm pushed him into an adjacent machine. One of the earliest documented industrial-robot fatalities (exact date variously reported; year firmly established).","occurredAt":"1981-01-01T12:00:00.000Z","reviewStatus":"reviewed","modelId":"1ed6f272-4ec3-4fa1-ab62-eab6e18416d0","deploymentId":null,"companyId":"8186d180-d5ca-4fdc-94c7-af7b2bd881d5","dataCenterId":null,"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"none","reviewNote":null,"severity":"critical","rootCauseCategory":"human_operator_error","rootCauseDetail":"Worker bypassed the safety fence to service a robot that was not fully de-energized; arm pinned him against an adjacent machine.","affectedUnitsCount":null,"affectedUnitsBasis":null,"remediationStatus":"resolved","regulatoryAction":"none","regulatoryBody":null,"propertyDamageEstimateUsd":null,"damageEstimateBasis":null,"bodilyInjurySeverity":"fatal","fatalityCount":1,"lossCostClass":null,"sourceQualityTier":null,"oshaRecordable":null,"oshaCaseNumber":null,"rootCauseDisclosed":null,"publicDisclosureDate":null,"insuranceClaimPublic":null,"formFactor":null,"latitude":null,"longitude":null,"autonomyClass":null,"legalOutcomeClass":"unknown","createdAt":"2026-06-24T02:58:25.257Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-14T21:53:38.350Z","model":{"id":"1ed6f272-4ec3-4fa1-ab62-eab6e18416d0","companyId":"8186d180-d5ca-4fdc-94c7-af7b2bd881d5","modelName":"RHP Kaleido","slug":"kawasaki-kaleido","description":"Kawasaki Heavy Industries, through its Kawasaki Robotics arm, develops the RHP Kaleido humanoid as an internal research and development program rather than a spinout; KHI is a roughly half-century-old industrial-robot-arm maker. RHP stands for Robust Humanoid Platform, and the series, which began development in 2015 with a first generation in 2017, deliberately prioritizes robustness and load-bearing over acrobatics. Kaleido is a full-size human-sized bipedal humanoid; the verified seventh-generation specification is 180 cm, 80 kg, and a roughly 4 km/h human-like gait shown at iREX 2022, and the ninth-generation Kaleido 9 unveiled at iREX 2025 adds reinforced waist and leg joints, LiDAR with SLAM self-localization, autonomous walking, head-mounted-display remote operation, an 18 kg payload, and a companion Kaleido Station wheeled transport platform. The registry records it at research maturity: all the evidence points to an internal KHI R&D platform demonstrated at trade exhibitions, with no customer, pilot, or operator deployment, and KHI itself frames near-term factory use as a target around 2030 and disaster response as a long-horizon goal. The exhibition demonstrations, such as removing a 30 kg shelf and navigating stairs in a simulated rescue, are stated capabilities in controlled settings rather than field operations, and a circulating 60 kg lift claim is unverified against the confirmed 30 kg demo and 18 kg payload spec. The rideable Bex robotic goat and the CORLEO concept are separate Kawasaki R&D efforts, not this entity.","formFactor":"humanoid","industryVertical":null,"environment":null,"maturityStage":"research","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByModelId":null,"specs":{"notes":[{"label":"Verified","value":"Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI / Kawasaki Robotics; a ~half-century industrial-arm maker) develops the RHP Kaleido humanoid as an internal R&D program (not a spinout). RHP = Robust Humanoid Platform; development began 2015, first gen 2017. The series prioritizes robustness/load-bearing over acrobatics. Generations through the 9th (iREX 2025)."},{"label":"Maturity = research","value":"All evidence points to an internal KHI R&D platform demonstrated at trade exhibitions (iREX). NO customer, pilot, or operator deployment exists; KHI itself frames near-term factory use as a ~2030 target and disaster response as a long-horizon goal. Exhibition demos (30 kg shelf removal, stair navigation, simulated rescue) are stated capabilities in controlled settings, not field operations. maturityStage=research."},{"label":"Claimed but NOT verified","value":"A '60 kg lift/suspension' capacity (secondary summaries; the verified figures are a 30 kg shelf demo + 18 kg Kaleido 9 payload spec); Kaleido 9 exact height/weight (180 cm/80 kg is the 7th-gen spec; 9th-gen dimensions not published - inferred); any deployment (none; disaster-response use is aspirational 2030/2050 roadmap). The rideable 'Bex' goat / 'CORLEO' concept are separate R&D, not this entity."}],"specs":"RHP Kaleido: human-sized bipedal humanoid (7th-gen verified 180 cm, 80 kg, ~4 km/h human-like gait, iREX 2022). Kaleido 9 (iREX 2025): reinforced waist/leg joints, LiDAR + SLAM self-localization, autonomous walking, HMD remote operation, 18 kg payload, + a 'Kaleido Station' wheeled transport platform.","ai_system":"LiDAR with SLAM self-localization","height_cm":"180 cm","weight_kg":"80 kg","formFactor":"humanoid (full-size robust bipedal humanoid; RHP = Robust Humanoid Platform)","payload_kg":"18 kg"},"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://kawasakirobotics.com/asia-oceania/blog/story_22/","title":"RHP Kaleido 7th-gen specs (180 cm, 80 kg, ~4 km/h gait; iREX 2022)","sourceName":"Kawasaki Robotics (official)"},{"url":"https://kawasakirobotics.com/asia-oceania/blog/20260316_kaleido9/","title":"Kaleido 9 goals (iREX 2025; reinforced joints, LiDAR/SLAM, HMD remote op; ~2030 roadmap)","sourceName":"Kawasaki Robotics (official)"},{"url":"https://biggo.com/news/202512051422_Kawasaki-Kaleido-9-Humanoid-Robot-Launch","title":"Kawasaki unveils Kaleido 9: 18 kg payload (~35% increase)","sourceName":"BigGo News"},{"url":"https://robohorizon.com/en-us/news/2025/12/kawasakis-kaleido-bot-from-chores-to-disaster-zones/","title":"Kaleido 9 iREX 2025 demo: 30 kg shelf removal, stairs/uneven terrain, simulated rescue","sourceName":"RoboHorizon"}],"aliases":["Kaleido","RHP Kaleido","Kaleido 9"],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"manufacturerTermForTeleop":null,"keyFacts":[{"label":"Height","value":"180 cm (7th-gen verified)"},{"label":"Weight","value":"80 kg (7th-gen verified)"},{"label":"Operating speed","value":"~4 km/h human-like gait (7th-gen verified)"},{"label":"Payload","value":"18 kg (Kaleido 9 spec)"},{"label":"Sensor suite","value":"LiDAR with SLAM self-localization (Kaleido 9)"}],"createdAt":"2026-06-03T19:24:28.908Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-16T04:13:35.691Z","unitsInFieldClaimed":null,"unitsInFieldVerified":null,"unitsManufacturedClaimed":null,"unitsManufacturedVerified":null,"unitsAsOf":null,"unitsSource":null,"salesModel":null,"priceUndisclosedSince":null,"autonomyClass":null,"autonomyStatement":null,"autonomyStatementSource":null,"demoForensics":null,"exportControlClass":null,"minCommitment":null,"warrantyTerms":null,"serviceModel":null,"productionRateClaimed":null,"productionRateEvidenced":null,"teleopRatioDisclosed":null,"interventionRateDisclosed":null},"deployment":null,"company":{"id":"8186d180-d5ca-4fdc-94c7-af7b2bd881d5","name":"Kawasaki Heavy Industries","slug":"kawasaki-heavy-industries","description":"Japanese heavy industrial conglomerate producing industrial robots, motorcycles, aerospace, and energy systems. [Kawasaki robotics](/companies/kawasaki-robotics) division is a major industrial robot arm manufacturer. Publicly traded (TSE: 7012).","status":"public","founded":1896,"hq":"Kobe, Japan","hqLat":34.6932379,"hqLng":135.1943764,"hqGeocodedAt":"2026-08-05T14:35:44.928Z","hqAddress":null,"hqPrecision":null,"website":"khi.co.jp","fundingTotal":null,"type":"both","roles":["robot_maker"],"reviewStatus":"reviewed","heatIndex":54,"lifecycleState":"active","supersededByCompanyId":null,"sources":[{"url":"https://kawasakirobotics.com/asia-oceania/blog/story_22/","title":"RHP Kaleido 7th-gen specs (180 cm, 80 kg, ~4 km/h gait; iREX 2022)","sourceName":"Kawasaki Robotics (official)"},{"url":"https://kawasakirobotics.com/asia-oceania/blog/20260316_kaleido9/","title":"Kaleido 9 goals (iREX 2025; reinforced joints, LiDAR/SLAM, HMD remote op; ~2030 roadmap)","sourceName":"Kawasaki Robotics (official)"},{"url":"https://biggo.com/news/202512051422_Kawasaki-Kaleido-9-Humanoid-Robot-Launch","title":"Kawasaki unveils Kaleido 9: 18 kg payload (~35% increase)","sourceName":"BigGo News"}],"keyFacts":[{"label":"HQ","value":"Kobe, Japan"},{"label":"Founded","value":"1896"},{"label":"Stock","value":"Tokyo Stock Exchange (7012)"},{"label":"Revenue","value":"¥2.31 trillion FY2025 (+8.5% YoY)"},{"label":"Robotics division","value":"Kawasaki Robotics — industrial robot arms, duAro cobots, robotic automation systems"},{"label":"Incidents","value":"None found — audited"}],"aliases":["Kawasaki","Kawasaki Robotics","KHI"],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"atsProvider":null,"atsSlug":null,"factoryLocations":null,"manufacturingCapacity":null,"orgType":null,"burnSignal":null,"litigationEvents":null,"insurancePostureDisclosed":null,"unitEconomicsDisclosed":null,"tickerSymbol":null,"stockExchange":null,"secCik":null,"revenueUsd":null,"revenueBasis":null,"revenueAsOf":null,"employeeCount":null,"employeeCountBasis":null,"employeeCountAsOf":null,"marketCapUsd":null,"marketCapAsOf":null,"marketCapSource":null,"createdAt":"2026-06-03T19:24:28.141Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-21T22:17:00.500Z"},"derived":{"status":"active"},"sources":[{"id":"aaddf346-50ef-48af-9b13-8cf3670608f5","incidentId":"8922d2c9-a1b7-4650-b857-7aab1ec7fc6b","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenji_Urada","label":"Wikipedia","publishedAt":null,"notes":null,"title":null,"sourceName":null,"mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-06-24T02:58:25.257Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-24T02:58:25.257Z"},{"id":"52c9fc85-8e1f-43bd-9f9d-6d37ac01d0e4","incidentId":"8922d2c9-a1b7-4650-b857-7aab1ec7fc6b","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2014/dec/09/robot-kills-factory-worker","label":null,"publishedAt":null,"notes":null,"title":"From the archive, 9 December 1981: Robot kills factory worker","sourceName":"The Guardian","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-09-29T20:46:02.455Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-29T20:46:02.455Z"}],"responses":[],"statusEvents":[],"jsonLd":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/kawasaki-kenji-urada-robot-fatality-1981","url":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/kawasaki-kenji-urada-robot-fatality-1981","headline":"Kenji Urada killed by a Kawasaki robot arm after entering the work envelope, Akashi, Japan (1981)","description":"In 1981 maintenance worker Kenji Urada was killed at a Kawasaki Heavy Industries plant in Akashi, Japan when he climbed over a safety fence to service a malfunctioning robot without fully powering it down; the hydraulic arm pushed him into an adjacent machine. One of the earliest documented industrial-robot fatalities (exact date variously reported; year firmly established).","identifier":"8922d2c9-a1b7-4650-b857-7aab1ec7fc6b","datePublished":"1981-01-01T12:00:00.000Z","articleSection":"injury","publisher":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"},"author":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"}},"framework_metadata":{"framework_schema_version":"0.1.0","verification_status":"verified","maturity_stage":null,"lifecycle_state":null,"architectural_position":{"cohort":null,"sub_cohorts":[]},"within_cohort_verified_vs_claimed_pair":null,"cap_flags":[],"verification_depth":{"sources_count":2,"primary_source_types":["knowledge-base"]}}}