Robot Kills Man at Volkwagen Plant in Germany

[cigaretteman]

A robot has killed a contractor at one of Volkswagen's production plants in Germany, the automaker said Wednesday.

The man died Monday at the plant in Baunatal, about 62 miles north of Frankfurt, VW spokesman Heiko Hillwig said.

The 22-year-old was part of a team that was setting up the stationary robot when it grabbed and crushed him against a metal plate, Hillwig said.

He said initial conclusions indicate that human error was to blame, rather than a problem with the robot, which can be programmed to perform various tasks in the assembly process. He said it normally operates within a confined area at the plant, grabbing auto parts and manipulating them.

Another contractor was present when the incident occurred, but wasn't harmed, Hillwig said. He declined to give any more details about the case, citing an ongoing investigation.

German news agency dpa reported that prosecutors were considering whether to bring charges, and if so, against whom.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-robot-kills-man-20150701-story.html

 

[linkshero]

and so it starts.....

 

[DanL53]

As with any machinery, just a matter of following proper procedures such as "Lock out-tag out". We're not quite to the point where robots are sentient beings, just yet. If the German police are investigating anything, it would be who was involved with ensuring proper safety measures were followed. Even a programmed robot should easily be made safe for someone to perform maintenance or other services.

My bet is the guy got himself killed, UNLESS he trusted someone else to shut the thing down or start it up, in which case why he trusted someone else is questionable. Kind of like trusting someone else to pack your sky diving chute.

Now, could this be the first robot to actually "think"? (It will happen someday) Not bloody likely. Robots are among the simplest of programs. All the AI researchers/designers would s..t their pants.

 

[swagsurfer02]

As with any machinery, just a matter of following proper procedures such as "Lock out-tag out". We're not quite to the point where robots are sentient beings, just yet. If the German police are investigating anything, it would be who was involved with ensuring proper safety measures were followed. Even a programmed robot should easily be made safe for someone to perform maintenance or other services.

My bet is the guy got himself killed, UNLESS he trusted someone else to shut the thing down or start it up, in which case why he trusted someone else is questionable. Kind of like trusting someone else to pack your sky diving chute.

Now, could this be the first robot to actually "think"? (It will happen someday) Not bloody likely. Robots are among the simplest of programs. All the AI researchers/designers would s..t their pants.

Yup LOTO, then even when trouble shooting employees must be clear.

 

[who r u]