Terminator is Real: Robot Grabs, Terminates Man in Volkswagen Factory

A very sad and tragic incident involving an industrial robot in German Volkswagen manufacturing plant is now getting the attention of European netizens.

A scene out of the movie Terminator just happened for real. A robot killed a contractor at one of Volkswagen’s production plants in Germany, the automaker said.

One of the technicians died on Monday at the plant in Baunatal, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Frankfurt, VW spokesperson Heiko Hillwig said.

The 22-year-old worker was part of a team that was setting up the stationary robot when it grabbed and crushed him against a metal plate, Hillwig said.

He said initial conclusions indicate that human error was to blame, rather than a problem with the robot. Robots can’t act on their own unless programmed by humans. The said robot is new and made to grab autoparts to be used in assembling cars.

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Another contractor was present when the incident occurred, but wasn’t harmed, Hillwig said. He declined to give any more details about the case, citing an ongoing investigation.

German news agency DPA reported that prosecutors were considering whether to bring charges, and if so, against whom. The automaker has yet to give further comment regarding the tragic incident.

The incident received a lot of attention on the social media after UK journalist Sarah O’Connor, who has the same name as Terminator actor Sarah Connor, posted about the mishap on Twitter.

The incident received much attention from Europe prompting most to bring the issue on their social media accounts.

/Oto Melara/ Assisted Press

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