dead man's switch

plural dead man's switches

1. A switch that ensures a fail-safe condition by automatically triggering an action (for instance, to stop a machine or vehicle) if a specified input from the operator is not made or is altered.

   Holonyms: device, machine

   2 more examples

   This seat is equipped with a dead man's switch. As the theory goes, "if the driver stops sitting, the machine is quitting."

   P.S. What about using a disc collection with a specific weight as a dead man's switch? Or making up a new format out of rare, esoteric, or even thaumaturgical materials, and using the anomaly to duplicate them? Or...

   2020 December 10, HarryBlank, “SCP-5751”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 24 Sep 2024