In an alarming incident at Tesla’s Giga Factory in Texas, a robot reportedly attacked an engineer. The Information revealed the news in an investigative report on a series of workplace injuries two years ago. In 2021, an engineer was reportedly pinned against a surface by a robot that cut car parts from aluminum. The person was injured to the extent that there was a trail of blood on the floor, said one of the witnesses.
Injuries At Tesla’s Factory Have Been Higher Than Industry Median
A fellow worker pressed the emergency stop button, which allowed the injured engineer to escape the robot’s grasp. However, he fell into a chute designed to collect scrap materials. The Information also writes that it obtained an injury report submitted to officials and health authorities. While the report was published in November 2023, Tesla didn’t comment. However, now, the CEO of one of the world’s most popular electronic vehicle manufacturing companies has commented on the incident.
Musk Clarifies It Was A Regular Kuka Arm Robot That Caused The Injury
In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Musk clarifies that the incident, quoted by some outlets to be recent, is from two years ago. It wasn’t caused by Tesla’s latest Optimus robot, but instead, by a regular Kuka robot arm that is found in most factories. It is important to note that the robot in question wasn’t AI-enabled. Musk writes it is “truly shameful of the media to dredge up an injury from two years ago.”
Nonetheless, the report also mentions that nearly one in 21 factory workers suffered through on-ground injuries, a rate higher than the industry median of one in 30 people. The injured person was safe and didn’t undergo an injury that needed off days. However, this indicates that factories that heavily rely on automated machinery should put more effort into ensuring their workers’ safety.
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