Adrian Flux and Tokio Marine HCC launch UK home insurance for humanoid robots

UK broker Adrian Flux and Tokio Marine HCC International (TMHCCI) have launched what they call the UK's first household insurance for domestic humanoid robots. Sold through Adrian Flux's home insurance and underwritten by TMHCCI, it covers damage to and theft of the robot, sudden damage the robot causes to the home or belongings, personal liability if it injures someone or damages property, and emergency recovery or safe shutdown after a sudden malfunction, Insurance Business and Reinsurance News reported on Oct. 30.

The robot cover is the obvious part. The liability cover is the product. By folding a humanoid robot into a home policy, Adrian Flux puts the homeowner's insurer first in line when a robot hurts a visitor or breaks something, before anyone has settled how much of that falls on the manufacturer. Home insurance normally covers the policyholder's own legal liability, Insurance Business noted; when a design or software fault causes the harm, the injured party or the homeowner's insurer may turn to the maker under product liability law. Adrian Flux general manager Gerry Bucke said the aim was "to provide clarity on who is responsible if something goes wrong," and that, like the driverless car policy Adrian Flux launched in 2016, the cover will be updated as the technology and the risks evolve. The companies believe it is the first policy anywhere to protect both a domestic humanoid and the home it works in.

Tokio Marine now insures robots as household items in the UK and as workers in Japan

The UK launch came three days after another Tokio Marine Group company, Tokio Marine & Nichido, said it will sell "AI robot insurance" to Japanese businesses from November. Robot Newspaper called it the first such product in Japan. It covers autonomous mobile robots, including wheeled, four-legged and humanoid machines, against damage and third-party liability. It also pays to keep the work going when a robot is damaged: wages for substitute staff, or the rent on a replacement robot. Losses caused directly or indirectly by cyber incidents are excluded, and terms and premiums are set case by case.

The Japanese product treats a robot as a worker whose absence costs money. The UK one treats it as an expensive object that can hurt people. "A robot that costs thousands of pounds is not something you want sitting outside your insurance policy," said Stuart Heath, head of distribution, international at TMHCCI.

The first test will be the first claim. The companies expect domestic robots in UK homes from 2027; in the US, early home humanoids are on pre-order at about $20,000, they said.