Foot massage machine kills three people

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

Dr. Serkan Toto currently works as the first and only Asia-based writer for the TechCrunch network, mainly covering Japan-related technology and web companies for TechCrunch, CrunchGear and MobileCrunch. Serkan also works full-time as an independent web and mobile industry consultant with a focus on the Japanese market. He is sept-lingual, holds an MBA and is a PhD in economics. Serkan... → Learn More

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Japan-based Matoba Electric [JP] is in some serious trouble. All TV stations in Nippon today covered the bizarre deaths of 3 individuals who died in tragic accidents that happened after using foot massage machines made by that company. Matoba already apologized to all their customers, issued an official warning and promised to tackle the issue as fast as possible.

Users accidentally killed themselves by trying the machine (Shape-up Roller 2) out on their neck and shoulders. A woman in their fifties, for example, strangled herself after the collar of her shirt was caught in the machine, which continued rotating.

The company said owners of the machines should follow the instructions given in the manual and not remove the cloth cover of the machine. The video below shows a clip from a news program aired on Japanese TV today.

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