Didn’t know the difference between boxes: in South Korea, a robot crushed a man to death during an inspection
A robotic manipulator killed a man. The incident occurred in the Republic of Korea when a specialist was inspecting a robot.
The robotic arm was used to handle boxes of food. A 40-year-old employee of a robotics company was doing an inspection when an accident occurred. It is reported that the robot could not distinguish between a person and boxes.
This was reported by the BBC with reference to the South Korean news agency Yonhap. According to the source, the robotic arm pressed the man against the conveyor belt, crushing his face and chest. The employee was taken to the hospital but did not survive.
The robot was created to transfer boxes of peppers to pallets at the Donggoseong Export Agricultural Complex. Police say the man was checking the sensors before the test launch of the robotic arm, which was scheduled for November 8, 2023.
The specialist was a representative of the manufacturer. He checked the robot after the sensors failed. The test run was postponed for two days due to sensor failure. The test was originally scheduled for November 6, 2023.
The police plan to launch an investigation into the security managers of the sorting center. Law enforcement agencies will conduct an investigation into possible negligence in the performance of official duties.
