Robots are so expensive because the technology inside to make them work so effectively costs a lot - and much of that cost will go into the research and development of the components, not necessarily just the manufacturing costs.
And I would question if life is so fragile - we take a hell of a lot of knocks along the way. Look at Richard Hammond as an example - it is amazing and fantastic that he survived that crash, and from the latest reports, looks set to make a good recovery!
