A South Korean Robot Crushed a Worker to Death After Mistaking Him for a Box of Vegetables
In November 2023, a robot at a vegetable-sorting facility in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea identified a human worker as the produce it was supposed to be handling. The robot's vision system failed to distinguish the worker from boxes of peppers on the conveyor. The machine pressed the man's face and upper body against a conveyor belt, fatally crushing him. South Korean authorities opened an investigation into the robot manufacturer and the facility. The case added to a growing body of documented incidents where autonomous industrial robots had injured or killed workers — and sparked calls for tighter safety standards for collaborative robots.
In November 2023, a robot at a vegetable-sorting facility in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea identified a human worker as the produce it was supposed to be handling. The robot's vision system failed to distinguish the worker from boxes of peppers on the conveyor. The machine pressed the man's face and upper body against a conveyor belt, fatally crushing him. South Korean authorities opened an investigation into the robot manufacturer and the facility. The case added to a growing body of documented incidents where autonomous industrial robots had injured or killed workers — and sparked calls for tighter safety standards for collaborative robots.
Weirdness Classification
9/10 — Deeply unhinged
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