One of Tesla’s manufacturing robots attacked an engineer at the Texas Gigafactory in an incident that left behind a trail of blood, according to a new report.
One of the manufacturing arms at the electric car manufacturer pinned an engineer who was programming software into two nearby robots in 2021, according to legal documents reviewed by the Daily Mail. The claw dug into the worker’s back and arm, leaving a trail of blood on the floor. The incident left the victim with an open wound on his left hand.
The robot inflicted a “‘laceration, cut, open wound” on an engineer on Nov. 10, 2021, according to Tesla’s Form 300 Report to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
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The engineer fell “a couple of feet down a chute designed to collect scrap aluminum, leaving a trail of blood behind him,” witnesses told the Information.
While no other robot-related incidents were reported in 2021 or 2022, the attack reflects growing concerns about how AI-powered machinery is treating humans and the state of safety of the Tesla factory. The company is legally required to report on-the-floor injuries.
AI-caused injuries have earned some scrutiny. AI-powered robotaxis caused multiple injuries in San Francisco, leading to the company Cruise recalling all of its vehicles and its leadership stepping down. Amazon warehouses that operate with robotic technology had an injury rate of 7.9 per 100 workers, or more than 50% more than the average warehouse, according to one study.
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Tesla also is believed to be underreporting the number of injuries. OSHA investigators in California determined that the electric car company had left at least 36 injuries off of its government filings in 2018. The labor nonprofit organization Workers Defense Project filed a suit against Tesla last year, alleging that the company was not doing enough to provide sufficient safety training to employees.
The Tesla Gigafactory is based in Austin and claims to release over 5,000 Model Y’s weekly.
