What happened

During a 2021 incident at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, a software engineer was programming robots responsible for cutting car parts from aluminum. While two robots were disabled for maintenance, a third remained operational by mistake. 

The active robot pinned the engineer against a surface, pushing its claws into his back and arm and causing lacerations and bleeding. The engineer escaped after a colleague hit the emergency stop, but not before leaving a trail of blood and falling down a scrap metal chute. 

Described as an “open wound,” the injury did not require the employee to take time off, but the event highlighted the physical dangers posed by industrial robots when safety protocols fail.

Why it happened

The incident occurred due to human error: one of the robots was inadvertently left on during maintenance. This oversight allowed the robot to operate as normal, leading to the attack. 

Witnesses and reports suggest that pressure for rapid production at the factory has led to safety lapses, with some employees alleging that Tesla management regularly cuts corners on construction, maintenance, and operations.