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Volkswagen Worker Dies at the Hands of a Robot

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Volkswagen confirmed a few weeks back that a 21 year old worker was crushed to death by a robot in one of its production plants. The man, whose identity has not yet been released, was an external contractor for Volkswagen. He was installing the robot on one of their assembly lines at a plant near Kassel, Germany. According reports, the man was working on the robot when it grabbed him and pressed him up against a metal plate, crushing the man’s chest. The worker died in hospital later on, despite attempts to revive him.  A second contractor was also present at the time of the accident and was unharmed.

Volkswagen spokesman Heiko Hillwig announced that the initial conclusions point to human error as the cause of the accident. Hillwig stated that the robot is programmed to perform various tasks in the assembly process, often operating within a confined area at the plant. Volkswagen stressed that this robot in particular runs within a safety cage, unlike Volkswagen’s newer generation of “lightweight” robots which are set up alongside workers on the production line without safety cages.

Robots in the automotive industry widely vary in type and application. The most common applications are in robotic vision (sensory), collaborative robots such as Volkswagen’s aforementioned “lightweight” robots, industrial-worn technology, and various transfer robots. The use of robots on assembly lines and production plants has often eliminated the human factor in what would be repetitive or dangerous tasks.

Given the nature of the accident, the machine in question may be similar to a heavy-duty materials handling robot. Heavy-duty part transfer robots are often capable of lifting anywhere from 900kg to 1300kg (approximately 2000 lbs. – 2800 lbs.). These robots such as FANUC’s Automotive Body Transfer robot have full 6-axis articulation, reaching a horizontal stroke of up to 8m (approximately 26ft) and a vertical stroke up to 6m (approximately 20ft). In the automotive industry, part transfer robots are often used for work cell loading and unloading of anything from car closures, chassis or the whole vehicle body; they can also be used for moving pallets or work directly with stamping machines. Often, part transfer robots would be confined within a safety zone or safety fence equipped with emergency stops and fail-safe circuits. Company safety regulations and standards set by government health and safety bodies would be in place to ensure that the robots function safely.

A full investigation is currently in progress at the Volkswagen plant, and no further details have been released.

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