A Tesla robot attack incident has resurfaced in a 2021 injury report. Investigators said that the alarming incident happened at the automaker's gigafactory in Austin, Texas.
The report 2021 injury report was filed to Travis county and federal regulators. Although this is considered to be the only robot attack that happened at the Tesla Gigafactory in Texas in 2021 and 2022, it is still alarming. The incident was confirmed as concerns over automated technologies in workplaces increased. Now, the question is, should humans and robots really work together in the same place?
2021 Tesla Robot Attack Incident Confirmed
A Tesla robot is seen on display during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai on July 6, 2023.
According to The Daily Mail UK's latest report, two workers witnessed the horrifying robot attack at the Tesla Gigafactory Texas in 2021. They said that a machine attacked their fellow worker after malfunctioning.
The robot, which was designed to grab and move freshly cast aluminum auto parts, pinned the victim who was programming software for two disabled Tesla robots.
The 2021 injury report stated that the Tesla machine sunk its metal claws into the employee's arm and back, leaving a blood trail along the factory surface.
The victim was left with an open-wound on his left hand, as described by investigators. Prosecutors said that the injured Tesla worker wasn't provided any time off although his injuries were severe.
"We've had multiple workers who were injured and one worker who died, whose injuries or death are not in these reports," said Workers Defense Project's Attorney Hannah Alexander via The Daily Beast.
She explained that these robot-related injury robots should be accurately completed and submitted by the American automaker to the county in order to get tax incentives.
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Should Humans Work With Robots?
This photograph taken on September 12, 2023 shows the the production line of the new Peugeot e-3008 electric car at the Stellantis factory in Sochaux, eastern France on September 12, 2023.
The 2021 robot attack incident at the Tesla Gigafactory Texas is just one of the injuries in workplaces linked to machines. Industry experts said that reports show increasing robot-caused injuries in other companies, such as Amazon's shipment centers.
These machine-related incidents involve self-driving car accidents, violence from robotic chess instructors, and incidents involving droid surgeons.
Because of these, many advocates are questioning the fast integration of automated technologies in workplaces where humans are usually present.
Although humans could face many risks if they work with machines, many companies encourage the use of robots to complete tasks faster and more efficiently.
But, if tech giants want to do this, advocates said that they should have effective safety measures. Tesla and other companies integrating automated machines in workplaces should provide enough training sessions to their workers as well.
Aside from this, companies should also disclose all injuries and deaths that are caused by their machines so that authorities will know what to do.
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