A man in South Korea was reportedly crushed to death by a robot at a distribution center. The robot, which was programmed to handle boxes of produce, failed to differentiate the man from the boxes and pushed him against a conveyor belt. This is the second incident of its kind in South Korea this year. The incident highlights the need for precise and safe systems when working with robots. TIMESOFINDIA.COM reported
A man in South Korea was tragically killed by a robot at a distribution center for agricultural produce. The robot, which was programmed to handle boxes of vegetables, failed to differentiate the man from the produce and mistakenly grabbed him. The robot arm then pushed him against a conveyor belt, resulting in fatal injuries to his face and chest. It was reported that the man had been checking the robot’s sensor prior to the incident. This is the second incident of its kind in South Korea this year. The company that owns the plant has called for the establishment of a more precise and safe system..
A tragic incident occurred in South Korea where a man was reportedly crushed to death by a robot. According to the Yonhap news agency, the robot failed to distinguish the man from the boxes of produce it was handling. The victim, who was in his 40s and worked for a robotics company, was employed at a distribution center for agricultural produce in South Gyeongsang province.
The industrial robot was performing its task of lifting boxes filled with bell peppers and placing them on a pallet. However, it malfunctioned and mistakenly identified the man as a box of vegetables. The robot’s arm, programmed to handle the produce, grabbed the man and pushed his upper body against the conveyor belt. Tragically, this resulted in his face and chest being crushed, as reported.
It is worth noting that the man had been inspecting the robot’s sensor prior to the incident. He had been called to address issues that had been detected with the sensor two days earlier. Despite being rushed to the hospital, the man succumbed to his injuries.
In response to this incident, an official from the Donggoseong Export Agricultural Complex, the owner of the plant, emphasized the need for a precise and safe system to be established.
This unfortunate incident is the second of its kind reported in South Korea this year. In March, another man in his 50s suffered serious injuries after being trapped by a robot while working at an automobile parts manufacturing plant..