14 DAY TRIAL // Intelligent vacuum cleaners have been gaining fame in their small niche, but something unfortunate and/or bizarre was bound to happen eventually.
A South Korean woman acquired an intelligent vacuum cleaner a while ago. One of those small, flat robots that can wheel themselves across the floor and gather up all the little grains, shavings, breadcrumbs, leavings and other things that pile up over time.
Being a woman 52 years of age, it's definitely understandable that she would appreciate having a way to delegate that task to something automated.
Unfortunately, the woman decided to take a nap on the floor one day, after she left the vacuum cleaner to its own devices.
This, sadly, caused her no small measure of pain, as the robot eventually came upon her and (presumably, the jury is still out on this one) mistook her hair for detritus.
She ended up calling the fire department for help, who came over with some paramedics and freed her from the maws of the persistent contraption. Fortunately, she escaped without serious injury.
That's one person who probably won't buy another one of those things in the future. Not that it will put a dent in the millions of sales that robot vacuum cleaners have been raking in.
Moral of the story? Don't nap on the floor while a robot vacuum goes about its business, or it will make you its business. Japan and South Korea take special heed, since it's commonplace to sleep on the floor in those countries, among others.