BERLIN (AP) — Automaker Volkswagen says a robot has killed a contractor at one of its production plants in Germany.
A spokesman for VW says the man died Monday at the plant in Baunatal, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Frankfurt.
Heiko Hillwig said Wednesday the 22-year-old was part of a team that was setting up the robot when it grabbed and crushed him against a metal plate.
Hillwig said initial conclusions indicate that human error was to blame, rather than a problem with the robot.
German news agency dpa reported that prosecutors were considering whether to bring charges, and if so, against whom.
A robot has killed a worker in a VW plant in Germany http://t.co/RRdCnNmbsj
— Sarah O’Connor (@sarahoconnor_) July 1, 2015
@sarahoconnor_ Ok. I should have thought about my name & its associations before tweeting this!
— Sarah O’Connor (@sarahoconnor_) July 1, 2015
@sarahoconnor_ Sigh. I’ve never even watched the films. Now my feed is full of people tweeting me about skynet.
— Sarah O’Connor (@sarahoconnor_) July 1, 2015
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