If you’ve read the Dune books, you’ll know that, in the future, humans wage war against the “thinking machines”. While this might sound like fantastical sci-fi, a woman in Germany has found out that the machines are already up to some sneaky tricks, after her smart dishwasher locked her in a toilet.

Woman held captive by smart dishwasher

Sci-fi writers and philosophers have been trying to warn us for years: the smarter machines get, the more dangerous they become for humanity. A woman in Germany might be the first person to fall victim to the machines’ schemes, after being locked in a toilet by her smart dishwasher.

Last Thursday, a 21-year-old woman who had just moved to Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg was held captive by her dishwasher after it finished its cycle and opened automatically. The dishwasher door blocked the door to the toilet, with the woman inside unable to get out.

In what can only be described as a nightmare scenario, the toilet didn’t have a window and the woman was unable to leave or call for help. The woman, being new to the area, didn’t know anyone nearby and decided to call a friend in Hesse. The friend in Hesse then called the police.

The great escape

Upon receiving a call from the woman’s friend, German police rushed to the house. Despite having picked up a second key to the house on the way, the officers were unable to get inside as the tenant had left the key in the lock on the inside of the door. It was not until the fire brigade arrived, that the door was opened and the woman finally tasted freedom.