Cybernetic shades-wearing man accosted in fastfood restaurant

Published July 19, 2012 5:30pm

A professor donning a wearable computer visor didn’t see this coming: being attacked by three fastfood crew in what’s now being touted as the world's first cybernetic hate crime. Canada-based Dr. Steve Mann said the incident happened last July 1 at a McDonald’s outlet at 140, Avenue Champs Elysees, Paris, France, after a day of sightseeing. He was wearing – and still is – a device similar to Google's recently unveiled concept eyewear.

“I wear a computer vision system, and carry a letter from my family physician, as well as documentation on this system when I travel. I have worn a computer vision system of some kind for 34 years, and am the inventor of the technology that I wear and use in my day-to-day life,” he said in a blog post.

“I’m not seeking to be awarded money. I just want my Glass fixed, and it would also be nice if McDonald's would see fit to support vision research,” he added.

The device is a strip of aluminium that runs across the forehead, with two silicone nose pads. It holds an EyeTap device, a computer-controlled laser light source that causes the eye to function like a camera and display.

Mann said that while he and his family were standing in line, a fastfood crewmember stopped him and asked about his digital computer vision system (EyeTap).

He showed the fastfood employee his doctor's letter explaining the device along with the documentation.

But as they got their orders and began eating, Mann said a person in the restaurant physically assaulted him.

“He angrily grabbed my eyeglass, and tried to pull it off my head. The eyeglass is permanently attached and does not come off my skull without special tools,” he said.

Mann said he tried to calm down the man and showed him the letter from his doctor. The man then brought him to two other persons, one of whom was holding a broom and dustpan, and wearing a shirt with the fastfood chain’s logo.

They then ripped the letter from his doctor and assaulted him.

“I noticed that Perpetrator 1 was wearing a name tag clipped to his belt. When I looked down at it, he quickly covered it up with his hand,” Mann said, adding that another attackers pushed him out the door and onto the street.

Attack caught on-cam

But the computerized eyeglass, which was damaged, managed to buffer the images of the assailants.

“As a result of Perpetrator 1’s actions, therefore images that would not have otherwise been captured were captured. Therefore by damaging the Eye Glass, Perpetrator 1 photographed himself and others within McDonalds,” Mann said.

Mann posted some of the photos on his blog.

McDonald’s response

Mann said that while he tried to contact McDonald's he got no response.

He also learned he was not the only victim of such an assault.

Penny Sheldon, a travel agent from Boise, Idaho, was similarly assaulted by McDonalds staff in Paris, because she photographed their menu.

“This seems surprising because many people use a handheld camera as a seeing aid to magnify and read signs, etc. (zooming into a picture to see it on screen),” he said.

It was not until Mann posted about his experience and provoked outrage from tweeps that McDonald's responded on its Twitter account.

“(W)e take the claims very seriously, (and) are in (the) process of gathering info and ask for patience until all facts are known. Thank you,” it said.

Cybernetic ‘hate crime’?

An article on io9.com said the incident involving Mann, the father of wearable computing, “may be the first ever recorded assault of a person instigated by the prominent display of a Google Glass-like wearable computer.”

“The incident is particularly troubling, not only because Mann's device is very similar to Google Glass, but because the assault could be a harbinger of things to come as the technology becomes increasingly prominent. Assaults such as this one may become more frequent should people (and corporations) respond poorly to the use of such devices,” it added.

It noted the assault prompted calls for an immediate apology, with users on Reddit publishing the address and phone number of the McDonalds in question, while Techcruch has called for a McDonald’s boycott.

Statement from McDonald's

On July 18, the Kurzweil Artificial Intelligence blog said that it received a statement McDonald's, which denied that any of its staff had manhandled Mann:

“We share the concern regarding Dr. Mann’s account of his July 1 visit to a McDonald’s in Paris. McDonald’s France was made aware of Dr. Mann’s complaints on July 16, and immediately launched a thorough investigation. The McDonald’s France team has contacted Dr. Mann and is awaiting further information from him.

In addition, several staff members involved have been interviewed individually, and all independently and consistently expressed that their interaction with Dr. Mann was polite and did not involve a physical altercation. Our crew members and restaurant security staff have informed us that they did not damage any of Mr. Mann’s personal possessions.

While we continue to learn more about the situation, we are hearing from customers who have questions about what happened. We urge everyone not to speculate or jump to conclusions before all the facts are known. Our goal is to provide a welcoming environment and stellar service to McDonald’s customers around the world.”

- McDonald’s

— MRT/TJD, GMA News

Tags: cyborg, cybernetics, stevemann, mcdonalds, fastfood