DEPLOYDatabase

Verified robot incidents

Every recorded robot incident in the DEPLOY registry. Collisions, injuries, fatalities, recalls, regulatory actions. Each one tied to a real deployment, model, or company, and sourced.

This is the sourced accountability record, not a safety essay. Every incident below names a subject and cites at least one source. Injury and fatality entries require at least two independent sources before they enter this index. Retracted entries are excluded from this listing and remain reachable at their canonical URLs with the retraction recorded. How we verify →

Definitions: see the glossary.

See also: all verified deployments, verified robotaxis, humanoid companies.

367
Verified incidents
123
Affected operators
38
Collisions
63
Injuries / fatalities
133
Recalls
63
Regulatory actions

18 of 367 incidents shown. Sort by severity to surface fatality / injury / recall first.

ProvenanceHeadlineKindDateSubjectSources
DEPLOY VERIFIEDIran captured a US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth surveillance drone largely intact (2011)Other2011-12-04Lockheed Martin1
DEPLOY VERIFIEDIran shot down a US Navy RQ-4 (BAMS-D) surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz (2019)Other2019-06-20Northrop Grumman1
DEPLOY VERIFIEDKnightscope HP RoboCop emergency button failed to summon police during a Huntington Park fight (2019)Other2019-10-01Knightscope1
DEPLOY VERIFIEDRussian Su-27 collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper over the Black Sea, forcing it downOther2023-03-14MQ-9 Reaper2
DEPLOY VERIFIEDLely settles A4 robotic-milker class action for about $122M over alleged defects affecting cow health and milk output (2023)Other2023-09-01Lely2
DEPLOY VERIFIEDHouthi forces shot down at least 7 US MQ-9 Reaper drones over Yemen in six weeks ($200M+, 2025)Other2025-04-22General Atomics Aeronautical Systems2
DEPLOY VERIFIEDBaidu Apollo Go robotaxi carrying a passenger drove into a construction pit in Chongqing (2025)Other2025-08-01Baidu1
DEPLOY VERIFIEDClass action (Lomeli v. WHOOP) alleges health-data sharing without consentOther2025-08-13Whoop (5.0 / MG)2
DEPLOY VERIFIEDServe Robotics delivery robot and mobility-scooter user involved in sidewalk encounter, West Hollywood (Sept 2025)Other2025-09-12Serve Gen 3 at West Hollywood4
DEPLOY VERIFIEDRingConn settled the Oura ITC patent case with a royalty-bearing license (avoided a ban)Other2025-10-20RingConn (Gen 2 / Gen 3)2
DEPLOY VERIFIEDShenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft suspected struck by orbital debris, delaying astronaut returnOther2025-10-30Shenzhou2
DEPLOY VERIFIEDClass action (Rowe v. WHOOP) alleges WHOOP falsely advertised BPI as medical-gradeOther2025-11-18Whoop (5.0 / MG)2
DEPLOY VERIFIEDSunnybrook study: robotic-assisted knee replacement associated with double the risk of major complicationsOther2026-04-01Intuitive Surgical1
DEPLOY VERIFIEDMonarch Tractor shuts down and sells assets to Caterpillar after raising 40MOther2026-04-08Monarch Tractor1
DEPLOY VERIFIEDWaymo temporarily suspended freeway robotaxi service in four cities to improve construction-zone performance (May 2026)Other2026-05-21Waymo Driver 6th-gen4
DEPLOY VERIFIEDCNN uncovers reported close calls with Waymo robotaxis - 'I had to push my son out of the way'Other2026-06-03Waymo1
DEPLOY VERIFIEDSaronic Corsair USV rescues downed Apache pilots in Strait of Hormuz - first US military use of USV for aircrew recoveryOther2026-06-08Saronic Technologies1
DEPLOY VERIFIEDFBI seizes 500+ drones during FIFA World Cup 2026Other2026-07-02Skydio1