Robot crushes man at plant in Germany

A robot crushed a worker at a Volkswagen production plant in Germany, the company said Wednesday.

The Associated Press reports that a 22-year-old man was helping to put together the stationary robot that grabs and configures auto parts Monday when the machine grabbed and pushed him against a metal plate.

He later died from the injuries sustained in the incident. Volkswagen did not release the man’s name.

A spokesperson for the car company said the robot can be programmed for specific tasks and that the company believes the malfunction was due to human error, the Associated Press reports.

Though the company uses some lightweight robots to work on the production line next to humans, a spokesperson stated that this was not one of those robots, according to the Financial Times.

Sources say the type of robot that crushed the employee is usually kept in a cage. The man was working on the robot inside the cage when he was grabbed.

Prosecutors are still deciding whether to bring charges and whom they would pursue.