Arm Wrestling Machine Breaking Arms

Japanese arcade distributor Atlus Co. said it will recall 150 arm-wrestling machines that are breaking players' arms.

The machine, known as Arm Spirit, has so far broken three arms of players who put it to the challenge. The machine features 10 levels of arm-wrestling difficulty, including a French maid, a drunken martial arts master and a Chihuahua. The final throw-down, for those who manage to avoid having their forearms snapped, is against a professional arm-wrestler.

"The machine isn't that strong, much less so than a muscular man," said Atlus spokeswoman Ayano Sakiyama. "Even women should be able to beat it." She said the company was investigating and checking the machines for malfunction, adding, "We think that maybe some players get overexcited and twist their arms in an unnatural way."

She referred to the recall, which covers all Arm Spirit machines, as "a precaution."