Tesla Robot Suffers Malfunctions and Allegedly ‘Attacks’ Engineer at Texas Factory, Leaving ‘Trail of Blood’
A robotic malfunction at Tesla’s Giga Texas factory resulted in a violent encounter where an engineer was attacked by one of the company’s robots, resulting in significant injuries and leaving a ‘trail of blood.’
According to the Daily Mail, while working on software programming for non-functional Tesla robots, the engineer was suddenly pinned against a surface by a robot tasked with manipulating aluminum car components, with its metal claws inflicted an injury that left an ‘open wound’ on the worker’s left hand.
“Two of the robots, which cut car parts from freshly cast pieces of aluminum, were disabled so the engineer and his teammates could safely work on the machines. A third one, which grabbed and moved the car parts, was inadvertently left operational, according to two people who watched it happen. As that robot ran through its normal motions, it pinned the engineer against a surface, pushing its claws into his body and drawing blood from his back and his arm, the two people said,” The Information reported.
Quick action was taken by Tesla workers who intervened and triggered the emergency shutdown button to halt the malfunctioning robot and prevent further injury to the engineer.
This incident came to light through a 2021 injury report filed to Travis County and federal regulators, which Daily Mail reviewed. Tesla is legally required to report such incidents to ensure the continuation of state-provided tax incentives.
Despite claims by Tesla that the engineer did not require time off following the event, an attorney representing the factory’s contract laborers suggests otherwise. Evidence hints at possible underreporting of workplace accidents, casting doubt on the official records.
Looks like they just forgot to power off, some equipment.
Lots of equipment like that is automatic, and that's pretty much the same thing.
That is a risk of working around automation and robotics in manufacturing and other industries. Missing a safety step like turning off power or proper lockout procedures for the robot to be disabled from moving while a technician is in the danger zone is a severe violation which should result in write up or termination of the technician and management, but often management performance metrics and production requirements are tied to bonus structures that create an incentive to look the other way and short cut safety procedure to get the malfunctioning machine back to production quicker.
The engineer although injured is lucky. Often times the robot hits central mass and the unlucky person ends up impaled and pinned to an immovable structure resulting in severe injuries or death.
Well said, and it doesn't matter if it's robotic or just some equipment with stored energy.
Headline is total fear porn.