Engineer Attacked By Robot At Tesla Factory in Austin

A Tesla engineer was attacked by a malfunctioning robot at the company’s factory in Austin, Texas, in 2021.

According to an injury report filed by Tesla, a robot originally designed for moving car parts attacked an engineer with its metal claw, resulting in a trail of blood on the factory floor. 

The robot reportedly pinned the engineer and clawed at his back and arm, leaving him immobilized with a “laceration, cut, or open wound” on his left hand.

Eventually, the engineer was released after another employee pressed the emergency stop button. He then tumbled down a chute but did not sustain severe injury. According to reports, the employee didn’t need to take time off from work.

Witnesses say two robots were disabled before the incident so that the engineer and his crew could work on the machines, but a third was inadvertently left on, resulting in the 2021 attack. 

According to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, nearly one in every 21 workers at the Giga Texas factory experienced injuries last year, while the median rate around the industry was one in every 30 workers.