Robot kills man at Volkswagen plant in Germany
Source: telegraph.co.uk
A 22-year-old worker was grabbed by the robot and crushed against a metal plate
A robot has killed a man at a Volkswagen car factory in Germany.
The 22-year-old worker died from injuries he sustained when he was trapped by a robotic arm and crushed against a metal plate.
The man, who has not been named, was part of a team that was setting up the automated machinery at the factory in Kassel, north of Frankfurt, according to Volkswagen.
The robot in question is a mechanical arm that moves car parts into place, said Heiko Hillwig, a spokesman for the company.
Robots weld a car body at the Audi/Volkswagen AG plant in Ingolstadt in 2010 Picture: Miguel Villagran/Getty Images
It is part of an automated assembly line that is capable of functioning without a human operator, but it is believed it may have been under human control at the time of the accident.
Mr Hillwig said he could not provide any further details as the case is now under police investigation.
Initial reports suggested human error may have been to blame, rather than a problem with the machine.
But the state prosecutor’s office in Kassel said that had not yet been confirmed.
“We have begun an investigation to find out exactly what happened and to determine whether anybody was at fault,” said Dr Götz Wied, a spokesman.
The contractor is believed to have died from injuries caused when his chest was crushed by the robot arm. He was rushed to hospital but doctors were unable to save him.
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Read the rest: telegraph.co.uk
