'Truly Shameful': Elon Musk Slams Media Over Report Of Robot Attack In Tesla Factory

A software engineer was reportedly attacked by a robot at Tesla’s Giga Texas factory in Austin, Texas. The robot was designed to use the aluminium parts of the cars in the factory before it malfunctioned and injured the software engineer. The robot allegedly pinned the engineer, inflicting wounds on him by sinking its claws into his back and arm, leaving a trail of blood on the factory floor. The incident was mentioned in the 2021 injury report but was only revealed recently.

Elon Musk recently took the X questioning the media once again for allegedly showing just half of the truth. “Truly shameful of the media to dredge up an injury from two years ago due to a simple industrial Kuka robot arm (found in all factories) and imply that it is due to Optimus now,” read his tweet.

According to reports, Tesla kept this incident under wraps for two years, and it was disclosed to Travis County and federal regulators. Interestingly, no other robot-related injuries were reported to regulators by Tesla at the Texas factory in 2021 or 2022. Eyewitnesses of the incident claim that the victim was programming the software for the robot’s task. At the time of the incident, two out of three robots were disabled for maintenance, and the third was mistakenly activated.

Witnesses described how the third robot attacked the engineer, throwing him to the ground. The robot allegedly restrained the engineer’s hands and back, injecting its claws and causing him to bleed. Quick action by one of the eyewitnesses, who pressed the emergency stop button, likely saved the engineer’s life.

Previous records also highlight a high injury rate at Tesla’s factories. Injury reports submitted to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for the Giga Texas factory revealed a concerning statistic. Nearly one in 21 workers reported injuries last year, significantly higher than the industry average of one in 30 workers in the automotive sector.

Current and former Tesla workers have alleged that the company often compromises on construction, maintenance, and operations, putting employees at risk. Tesla’s 2022 injury report even mentioned a peculiar incident involving water submerged in molten aluminium, causing an explosion in the castings area and resulting in a sonic boom-like sound.

As scrutiny intensifies, this incident is gaining traction on the internet, shedding light on potential safety concerns at Tesla’s Giga Texas factory.