Seoul, November 9: A man was crushed to death by a robot in South Korea after the machine apparently failed to differentiate him from the boxes of produce it was handling. The robot was lifting boxes filled with bell peppers and placing them on a pallet at the time of the incident. However, the robot malfunctioned and identified the man as a vegetable box.
BBC reported that the incident took place when the man, an employee in a robotics company and in his 40s, was carrying out the inspection of the robot. The robotic arm pushed the man’s upper body down against the conveyor belt, crushing his face and chest. South Korea Horror: One Killed, Three Injured in Stabbing Attack Near Subway Station in Seoul.
The man had been checking the robot’s sensor ahead of the test run at the pepper sorting plant. He was reportedly called to check problems with the robot’s sensor that were noticed two days earlier. South Korea: 14 Severely Injured After Man Drives Car Onto Pedestrian Walkway, Stabs Nine People Near Seoul in Seongnam.
The man was rushed to the hospital, however, he later succumbed to his injuries. After the incident, an official from the Donggoseong Export Agricultural Complex, in a statement, said that there is a need to establish a “precise and safe” system.
This comes after a South Korean man, who was in his 50s, was seriously injured after a robot trapped him when he was working at an automobile parts manufacturing plant. The incident took place in March.
(The above story first appeared on Morning Tidings on Nov 09, 2023 10:50 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website morningtidings.com).
