Robot attacked engineer at Tesla factory during malfunction
- A robot attacked a worker at Giga Texas, pinning the engineer before sinking its claws into his back and arm
- The incident – which left the victim with an open wound – was revealed in a 2021 injury report filled to Travis County and federal regulators
- It’s the first robot-related injury reported at the company’s Texas factory, however, an attorney aiding contract workers claims there’s evidence Tesla under-reported accidents to state regulators
Published on Dec 27, 2023 at 2:32 PM (UTC+4)
by Adam Gray
Last updated on Dec 28, 2023 at 1:22 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
A software engineer at a Tesla factory was left with serious injuries after he was attacked by a malfunctioning robot.
Two witnesses watched in horror as the machine, designed to move aluminum car parts, attacked their fellow coworker at the company’s factory near Austin.
The robot pinned the man then sank its metal claws into the his back and arm, leaving a trail of blood along the floor.
READ MORE! Elon Musk had ultra genius method for figuring out which Tesla employee was leaking info
Apparently the engineer was programming software that controls robots whose job it is to cut car parts from freshly cast pieces of aluminum.
But while two of the bots were disabled so that the engineer could work on the machines, a third robot was left on, resulting in the attack.
As the bleeding engineer attempted to wrestle free from the robot’s grasp, another worker hit an emergency ‘stop’ button to end the attack.
Once free, the engineer fell ‘a couple of feet down a chute designed to collect scrap aluminum, leaving a trail of blood behind him,’ according to subscription-based tech news site, The Information.
The incident – which left the victim with an open wound on his left hand – was revealed in a 2021 injury report filed to Travis County and federal regulators.
The injury, however, wasn’t severe enough to require the employee to take time off from work.
It’s the first time a robot-related injury has been reported to regulators by Tesla at the Texas factory.
However, an attorney who represents Tesla’s Giga Texas contract workers told DailyMail.com she believes, based on her conversations with workers there, that the number of injuries suffered at the factory is going underreported.
This underreporting, the attorney said, even included the September 28, 2021 death of a construction worker, who had been contracted to help build the factory itself.
“My advice would be to read that report with a grain of salt,” the attorney, Hannah Alexander of the nonprofit Workers Defense Project, told DailyMail.com.
“We’ve had multiple workers who were injured,” Alexander said, “and one worker who died, whose injuries or death are not in these reports that Tesla is supposed to be accurately completing and submitting to the county in order to get tax incentives.”
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
Adam Gray is an experienced freelance motoring journalist and content creator based in the United Kingdom. Using his media accreditation with manufacturers’ press offices, Adam test drives the latest cars and attends new vehicle press launches, producing written reviews and news pieces for a variety of lifestyle and business publications. Here at Supercar Blondie, Adam applies his journalistic skills penning social-first content around current news and trends. When he’s not behind the wheel of the latest car or writing up another viral story, Adam can be found at his local rink playing ice hockey or at the Riverside Stadium supporting his beloved Middlesbrough FC.
