A man died after a robot perceived the worker as a box of vegetables in a distribution center.
AI and robotics have significantly helped numerous industries, particularly production. Robots can work tirelessly and lift, push, and pull objects easily. However, they must be designed and trained rigorously in areas where human workers are to avoid disaster.
That said, a factory worker was crushed to death after a robot mistook the man as a box of vegetables. The incident happened at a distribution center for agricultural produce in South Gyeongsang province in South Korea.
Reports noted that the facility has two robots used to lift boxes of bell peppers and move them onto pallets. One mistook the company worker, in his 40s, who was inspecting the robotic arm’s sensors.
For yet-to-rule reasons, the robot appeared to have mistaken the worker for a box of vegetables, lifted them, and pushed his body against the conveyor belt. His face and chest was crushed during the incident.
He was admitted to the hospital but later succumbed to the injuries.
“It wasn’t an advanced, artificial intelligence-powered robot, but a machine that simply picks up boxes and puts them on pallets,”
Kang Jin-go, who’s leading the investigation, told NBC News
The police and related agencies are now working to find out if the robot had technical problems or safety issues. Human error is also being looked into.
Officials said that the footage of the incident revealed that the man moved closer to the robot with a box in his hands. That may have triggered the machine’s reactions.
As of writing, there’s no entity yet determined that will be held accountable for the incident.
