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Robotic arm kills worker after mistaking him for box of red peppers

Published: 09 Nov. 2023, 13:39 Updated: 09 Nov. 2023, 13:59

The automated robotic system that moves produce-filled boxes from the conveyor belt to a cargo hold at an agricultural produce distribution center in Goseong, South Gyeongsang. [GYEONGSANGNAM-DO FIRE DEPARTMENT]

A man in his 40s died after an industrial robotic arm mistook him for a box of red peppers.

According to the police, the accident occurred at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday during a test at an agricultural produce distribution center in Goseong, South Gyeongsang.

An employee from a facility maintenance company was testing the sensor accuracy on the robotic arm.

The center has utilized automated systems for five years to move produce boxes from a conveyor belt to a cargo hold.

The worker became trapped between the robotic arms and the conveyor belt when the sensor misread the bar code on the box he was holding.

Despite immediate efforts by a fellow worker to shut off the robot, the victim lost consciousness, and paramedics found no pulse upon arrival.

The fire department had to dismantle the robotic arm before transporting the injured man to the hospital.

He did not survive the injuries.

As more and more workplaces adopt robotic systems, related accidents are also rising.

A 20-year-old man suffered brain death after being crushed by a robotic arm he was inspecting at an auto parts plant in Daegu on March 21.

Less than a week later, a man in his 50s died from a similar accident while inspecting a robotic welding system at another auto parts plant in Gunsan, North Jeolla.

On May 8, a 61-year-old man died at a rice mill in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang, when a rice packaging robot failed to distinguish between the rice and the person.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [[email protected]]