Robot Crushes Man To Death At WV Plant In Germany

A technician has been killed by a robot at a Volkswagen plant near Kassel, Germany, according to a Metro report.

A 21-year-old external contractor and a colleague were installing the robot at the Baunatal plant when it suddenly struck him in the chest and crushed him against a metal plate, AP reports.

The man later died of his injuries.

According to Volkswagen spokesman Heiko Hillwig, the robot was not one of the a new generation of lightweight workers designed to work alongside workers.

He added that investigations were ongoing, but initial conclusions indicated that human error was to blame rather than a technical defect.

Robots are usually kept behind safety cages and fatalities of this kind are rare. In this instance, the 21-year-old was inside the safety cage, the FT reports.