Robot crushes man to death in South Korea

Occurred: November 2023

A robot crushed a worker to death in a factory in South Korea after it failed to differentiate him from a box of vegetables. 

The robotics worker had been inspecting the machine's sensor at a distribution centre for agricultural produce in South Gyeongsang province when the machine, which had been lifting boxes of peppers onto a pallet, grabbed the man with its arm and pushed him against the conveyer belt, crushing his face and chest. The victim died shortly afterwards in hospital.

Problems with the robot's sensor had earlier been reported, and police have said they would launch an investigation into the site's safety managers for possible negligence in duties.