In the Republic of Korea, a robot killed a man after failing to distinguish him from boxes of food

A robotic arm has killed a man. The incident occurred in the Republic of Korea when a specialist was inspecting the robot.

Here's What We Know

The robotic arm was used to work with boxes of food. A 40-year-old employee of a robotics company was doing an inspection when the accident occurred. It is reported that the robot was unable to distinguish between the person and the boxes.

This is reported by the BBC with reference to the South Korean news Agency Yonhap. According to the source, the robotic arm pinned the man to the conveyor belt, crushed his face and chest. The employee was taken to hospital but did not survive.

The robot was built to carry boxes of peppers onto pallets at the Donggoseong Export Agricultural Complex. Police said the man was checking the operation of sensors before the test run of the robotic arm, which was scheduled for 8 November 2023.

The specialist was a representative of the manufacturing company. He tested the robot after the sensors failed. The test launch was postponed for two days due to the sensor failure. The test was originally scheduled for 6 November 2023.

Police plan to launch an investigation into the sorting centre's security managers. Law enforcement will review for possible negligence in the performance of their duties.

Source: BBC