Following a malfunction, a Tesla robot grabbed an employee and stabbed him in the back with its metal claws. This is just one of the many incidents that have occurred at the Giga Factory Texas, revealed in an edifying report.
We’ve been hearing about it for years: just as AI automates intellectual workrobots are poised to replace manual workers. Stronger, faster, more obedient, tireless… machines surpass humans in every way. What’s more, they are unlikely to go on strike.
However, a minority of experts warn, without really being heard, about a very real risk: that of robot rebellion. against their creators.
While this danger may seem fanciful at first glance, an incident that occurred at the Tesla factory. The latter demonstrates that this is definitely not science fiction.
The factory floor stained by a trail of blood
While working in the electric vehicle factory in Austin, Texas, a software engineer was suddenly attacked by a dysfunctional robot.
According to witnesses, this robot designed to move aluminum car parts cornered the engineer. It then its metal claws into his back and arm. A veritable trail of blood stained the ground, like something out of a horror film.
This engineer was quietly busy programming the software to control the robots responsible for cutting automotive parts from aluminum. Two of the robots were deactivated for the teams to work on. However, a third was accidentally left running. This is what enabled him to attack the employee.
This scene took place in 2021, but has only just come to light. Visit website The Information explains how it obtained a confidential report entrusted to federal authorities and Travis County health authorities.
As a result of the assault, the engineer suffered a ” laceration, cut or open wound ” on his left hand. Despite this injury, his condition was not considered serious enough for Tesla to grant him time off.
Tesla: safety sacrificed for profit?
Tesla has not yet commented on the matter. However, this type of incident seems to be recurring and increasingly frequent in its factories.
According to confidential reports consulted by the source, 1 in 21 employees was injured in 2022 at the Giga Factory in Texas.
By way of comparison, in the entire automotive industry, the injury rate did not exceed 1 per 30 employees. So why so many problems at Tesla?
Don’t worry: it’s not all about attacks by crazy robots. According to several employees interviewed by The Informationthese are Tesla’s savings on construction, maintenance and operations that put them at risk.
In this huge Texas plant to be built in 2020 In the face of the containment measures imposed in California, Elon Musk has set himself the goal of producing 20 million cars a year by 2030.
The managers demand ever faster production. It is this philosophy that has led to a collapse in safety.
Ammonia, collisions and fireballs in the Gigafactory
Heavy equipment including a crane, a steel beam or even an air-conditioning duct have fallen near workers on production lines.
In addition, several employees fell ill after being exposed to toxins such as ammonia…
Last summer, an employee’s ankle got stuck under a moving cart. He was subsequently forced to take more than four months off work.
A few days later, another worker was struck on the head by a metal objectresulting in over 85 days’ absence from work.
Employees claim to have seen forklifts collide with workers. in the assembly shop. And this is far from being the most edifying testimony.
On New Year’s Day 2023, water was accidentally immersed in molten aluminum used in the casting area that produces the Model Y’s underbody. This resulted in an explosion that resembled a ” sonic boom ” according to those who attended…
A fireball rose into the aircausing employees to flee in terror. It is not known how many people were injured, as this incident is not even reported.
At a time when Tesla is developing its humanoid robot Optimus, these internal incidents are cause for concern.… Furthermore, these events highlight the need for a thorough assessment of security practices within the company.