Tesla Robot Suffers Malfunctions and Attacks Engineer at Texas Factory, Leaving ‘Trail of Blood’

A robotic malfunction at Tesla’s Giga Texas factory resulted in a violent encounter where an engineer was attacked by one of the company’s robots, resulting in significant injuries and leaving a ‘trail of blood.’

According to the Daily Mail, while working on software programming for non-functional Tesla robots, the engineer was suddenly pinned against a surface by a robot tasked with manipulating aluminum car components, with its metal claws inflicted an injury that left an ‘open wound’ on the worker’s left hand.

“Two of the robots, which cut car parts from freshly cast pieces of aluminum, were disabled so the engineer and his teammates could safely work on the machines. A third one, which grabbed and moved the car parts, was inadvertently left operational, according to two people who watched it happen. As that robot ran through its normal motions, it pinned the engineer against a surface, pushing its claws into his body and drawing blood from his back and his arm, the two people said,” The Information reported.

Quick action was taken by Tesla workers who intervened and triggered the emergency shutdown button to halt the malfunctioning robot and prevent further injury to the engineer.

This incident came to light through a 2021 injury report filed to Travis County and federal regulators, which Daily Mail reviewed. Tesla is legally required to report such incidents to ensure the continuation of state-provided tax incentives.

Despite claims by Tesla that the engineer did not require time off following the event, an attorney representing the factory’s contract laborers suggests otherwise. Evidence hints at possible underreporting of workplace accidents, casting doubt on the official records.

The injury report, which Tesla must submit to authorities by law to maintain its lucrative tax breaks in Texas, claimed the engineer did not require time off of work.

But one attorney who represents Tesla’s Giga Texas contract workers has told DailyMail.com she believes, based on her conversations with workers there, that the amount of injuries suffered at the factory is going underreported.

This underreporting, the attorney said, even included the September 28, 2021 death of a construction worker, who had been contracted to help build the factory itself.

‘My advice would be to read that report with a grain of salt,’ the attorney, Hannah Alexander of the nonprofit Workers Defense Project, told DailyMail.com.

‘We’ve had multiple workers who were injured,’ Alexander said, ‘and one worker who died, whose injuries or death are not in these reports that Tesla is supposed to be accurately completing and submitting to the county in order to get tax incentives.’

Just recently, Tesla revealed the second generation of its humanoid robot, Optimus Gen 2.

Optimus Gen 2 stands at a height of 5 feet 11 inches and weighs in at a light 121 pounds, shedding 22 pounds from the first model. It’s not just its frame that’s been upgraded; this robot can reach speeds up to 5 mph, which is a substantial 30% increase in velocity.

41 posted on 12/26/2023 4:23:36 PM PST by Libloather (Why do climate change hoax deniers live in mansions on the beach?)

Reminds me of the time my Aunt was working on a manure loading auger in the barn. Son was at the switch and thought she said “turn it on”...off came he ends of four of her fingers on the one hand. Amazing she didnt get an infection.

Someone failed to lockout the robot before they started working on the line. Telsa will be fined for not enforcing a safety first culture and failure to train workers on lockout/tagout. Anybody that has ever worked with Robots knows that you have to lock them out and confirm the lockout. Also, somebody’s safety grates were not working. Most places have a no human’s inside the fence rule for this reason and if configured right, once the safety gate was opened, the machine should have shutdown.

43 posted on 12/26/2023 6:34:05 PM PST by ClayinVA ("Those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it")

I would think that a strategically placed infrared heat sensor would let the robot know that there is an error and a human or cat or dog or squirrel is in it’s path...so it could shut down power rather quickly. Hell, there is just such a sensor on some expensive table saws that will immediately stop the blade when a finger...or even a hot dog is in its path. It destroys the motor but, who cares?

44 posted on 12/29/2023 12:59:43 PM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (The Truth is like a lion. You don't need to defend it. Let it loose and it will defend itself.)

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