the machine wars have started

[vancity_cowboy]

Robot Grabs, Crushes Man at Volkswagen Plant
BERLIN — Jul 1, 2015, 5:38 PM ET

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 100 kilometers (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://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/robot-kills-man-volkswagen-plant-germany-32163980

 

[cancowboy2001]

I, for one, welcome our machine overlords.

Sounds more like a human error - someone activated the machine while the guy was in the machine's range of motion.
If this was a TV show, I would suspect murder disguised as an industrial accident.

 

[westwoody]

I was visiting a factory in the southern US last summer.
I was shocked at the lack of safety regulations.
A robot was picking up tubing with one arm and spot welding with another arm. This was on a raised platform about 10 feet square. There were no railings or safety cages, and no glass to protect against the glare of the arc welder.
No way that setup was safe to work around.
Robots are great under controlled environments. Companies are going to buy them and cut every corner to save costs and these accidents are going to become common. These things are very dangerous. The one I was watching was only man-sized and it was bending cromoly tubing like it was putty. And it moved really fast.