#Socialites, get into this: In a shocking incident at Tesla’s Giga Texas factory near Austin, a Tesla engineer was attacked by a malfunctioning robot, leaving him with injuries and raising concerns about the safety of automated robots in the workplace. The incident, witnessed by two horrified colleagues, definitely highlights the need for increased precautions and safety measures to ensure the well-being of employees working alongside robots before really implementing them into the workplace.
Now, what the heck happened? Well, according to witnesses, the engineer was attacked by a robot designed to handle and transport freshly cast aluminum car parts. While two of the robots were disabled so that the engineer and his crew could work on the machines, a third was inadvertently left on — resulting in the attack two years ago, witnesses told The Information. It was said that the the robot unexpectedly pinned the engineer, who was programming software for other disabled Tesla robots nearby.
The machine’s metal claws penetrated the engineer’s back and arm, resulting in a trail of blood across the factory floor. The victim suffered an open wound on his left hand, as documented in a 2021 injury report filed with Travis county and federal regulators, which the Daily Mail recently obtained and reviewed.
To note, no other robot-related injures were reported to regulators by Tesla at the Texas factory in either 2021 or 2022. However, the incident comes amid years of heightened concerns over the risks of automated robots in work environments.
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This latest news comes just days after Tesla announced a recall of over 2 million vehicles due to concerns regarding the effectiveness of its autopilot safety system. The recall includes several models spanning from 2012 to 2023, equipped with the Autosteer feature.
The decision comes after an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which revealed that the system may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse.
Tesla tweeted in response to safety concerns centered on its Autopilot system — two days before the recall announcement:
“We at Tesla believe that we have a moral obligation to continue improving our already best-in-class safety systems,” the company said. “At the same time, we also believe it is morally indefensible not to make these systems available to a wider set of consumers, given the incontrovertible data that shows it is saving lives and preventing injury.”
Meanwhile, Tesla has not yet comment on the alleged robot incident report that happened two years ago. Until then, let us know your thoughts on this in the comment box below!