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A contractor at a Volkswagen production plant in Germany has been killed by a robot who grabbed him and crushed him against a metal plate.
The 22-year-old man was a member of a team that was tasked with setting up the stationary robot when it grabbed him.
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A Volkswagen spokesperson told Associated Press that the initial conclusions had led the company to believe that it was human error that had caused the man's death, rather than a problem with the robot itself. The robot's job is to operate within a confined area, picking up auto parts and manipulating them. "A Volkswagen spokesman stressed that the robot was not one of the new generation of lightweight collaborative robots that work side-by-side with workers on the production line and forgo safety cages," says the Financial Times.
An investigation is currently underway, which will inform the decision of prosecutors as to whether they will pursue charges against the company.
The plant where the tragedy occurred was based in Baunatal, a town about 62 miles north of Frankfurt.