Elon Musk rebukes media reports on robot "attack" in Tesla factory
Elon Musk vehemently criticized recent media coverage surrounding an incident involving a factory robot at a Tesla facility in Austin. Musk's response was prompted by reports resurfacing about a 2021 incident where an engineer was allegedly injured by a Kuka robot arm during software updates. Musk lambasted the media for linking this incident to Tesla's humanoid Optimus robots, stressing that the coverage misrepresented the nature of the accident.
The incident, previously covered by outlets like the Daily Mail and The Information, detailed how an engineer working on software updates became ensnared by a factory robot, resulting in injuries. Witnesses reported the engineer being pinned and bleeding until another worker intervened by activating the emergency stop button.
Musk's defense of the Optimus robots, which he unveiled with high aspirations, is part of his vision for an automated future, envisioning a world of abundance without poverty. However, Tesla's safety practices have faced scrutiny in the past. Regulatory bodies in California flagged incomplete injury reports from Tesla in 2020, while safety concerns in Tesla's factories extended beyond the US, with Chinese inspectors seeking penalties over safety lapses and reports of fatalities in Shanghai's Tesla factory.
Despite media reports, both Tesla and Kuka representatives have not issued immediate comments in response to inquiries made by Business Insider outside regular business hours.
Elon Musk's outspokenness against the media's portrayal of the incident underscores Tesla's commitment to its robotics program while highlighting ongoing concerns regarding safety in the company's manufacturing
