According to a report from the Korean News Agency on November 8,
a man in South Korea was crushed to death by a robotic arm that was in operation,
because the robotic arm failed to distinguish him
from a box of agricultural products awaiting processing.
The man, in his 40s, was an employee of a robotics company, primarily responsible for inspecting and maintaining industrial robots. The incident occurred on the evening of the 7th, when the robot was transporting boxes of bell peppers, while the man was inspecting the sensors of a lifting robot. During the inspection, the robot seemed to experience some kind of malfunction, mistakenly identifying the man as a box. Subsequently, the robotic arm lifted the man into the air and then dropped him onto the conveyor belt.
Reports indicate that
the man’s upper body was placed on the conveyor belt,
and his face and chest suffered severe crushing injuries,
resulting in serious compression injuries.
He was taken to the hospital but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Currently, the police have launched an investigation to determine whether the on-site safety management personnel were negligent.
Such incidents are not isolated cases
-
In March of last year, a man in his 50s was seriously injured after being trapped by a robot in an automobile factory in South Korea.
-
In July of last year, a 7-year-old boy in Moscow, Russia, had his finger caught by a robotic “opponent” during an international chess competition,resulting in a fracture of his finger bone. This occurred because the robot believed the boy had violated the rules.
Such accidents not only surprise people,
but also lead to more reflection on the safety issues of robots.
Against the backdrop of an increasingly severe aging population issue, South Korea ranks among the highest in the world in terms of robot adoption. According to the International Federation of Robotics’ “2022 World Robotics” report, there is one industrial robot for every ten manufacturing workers in South Korea.
Robot manufacturers are also one of the most sought-after stock categories in South Korea this year. On October 5, the stock price of Doosan Robotics, which went public in Seoul, nearly doubled on its first day of trading. Prior to this, the company announced it had raised 421 billion won (approximately 310 million USD) through its initial public offering, making it the largest IPO in the South Korean market this year.
It is reported that robots have long been used in the industrial sector to perform repetitive tasks, but Doosan Robotics primarily produces robotic arms that work collaboratively with humans, capable of completing tasks beyond factory floors. These collaborative robots have been used for various tasks, from brewing coffee and frying chicken to pouring beer and handling luggage at airports.
Image source: Doosan Robotics official website
Additionally, the stock price of Rainbow Robotics, funded by Samsung Electronics, has surged approximately 3.7 times this year. In March, Samsung increased its stake in Rainbow Robotics to 15%.
What was once thought to be scenes only seen in movies
unexpectedly happened in reality
While technology brings convenience to people,
we must also be cautious.
END
Source: Xinhua News, Daily Economic News, Hongxing News, Global Network
Editor: lady w
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