Robot Kills Man at Volkswagen Plant in Germany Thu, 07/02/2015 - 9:26am The Associated Press Get today's design engineering headlines and news - Sign up now!
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 mile s) 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 t asks in the assembly process. He said it normally operates within a confine d area at the plant, grabbing auto parts and manipulating them.
Another contractor was present when the incident occurred, but wasn't harme d, Hillwig said. He declined to give any more details about the case, citin g an ongoing investigation.
German news agency dpa reported that prosecutors were considering whether t o bring charges, and if so, against whom.