[Tyler]

Man Commits Robot-assisted Suicide
     

An 81 year old Queensland, Australia man committed
suicide with the help of a "robot", or at least an
automated machine designed to repeatedly fire a .22 semi-automatic
pistol. He set up his
robotic device in the driveway in front of his house at 7am in sight of
nearby workers. After loading the gun with four bullets he
activated the machine. Workers attracted by the shots called police.
Only limited details were available about the man's
homebrew machine. It's said to have been built from radio-controlled
model parts. He based his design on websites that described similar
machines built fire toy guns. Remote-controlled
airsoft guns are common. There's even an Instructables
step-by-step on building your own RC gun. If you need a more mobile
deathbot, try the Vex Air Soft Gun
Station (or maybe the Vex
Flame Thrower). Death by the indirect action
of machines is rare but non unknown. A 2007 Michigan suicide used a self-activated
guillotine. Several people have used the two assisted suicide
machines created by Jack Kevorkian, the Thanatron and the Mercitron. It's
probably a stretch calling any of these machines robots but it makes for a
good headline. Fox News even sensationalized it a bit more, titling
their story, Man Gunned
Down in Driveway by Killer Robot.
   

http://robots.net/article/2499.html