Robots are the future, yet, many warn that the technology is a danger to humans. Lending weight to this warning, in a shocking incident, at Tesla's Giga Texas factory near Austin, a malfunctioning robot reportedly attacked an engineer.

As per a Daily Mail report, the incident occurred on November 10, 2021, in the section of the factory floor where the vehicle chassis is initially assembled.

The incident adds to concerns about workplace safety and the risks associated with automation.&nbsp;

<h2>The injuries</h2>

Witnesses reported that the robot, designed to grab and move freshly cast aluminium car parts, pinned the Tesla engineer, who was programming software for other robots nearby. The engineer suffered injuries to his back and arm, leaving a "trail of blood" on the factory surface.&nbsp;

The incident happened a couple of years back and was disclosed in a 2021 injury report filed by Tesla with the Travis County and federal regulators.

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The injury report, submitted to maintain tax breaks in Texas, claimed that the engineer did not require time off work.

A brief entry makes mention of a "laceration, cut, open wound" suffered by an "engineer", and identifies the "cause object" as a "robot".

<h2>Is it all good?</h2>

As per the report, an attorney representing Tesla's Giga Texas contract workers has flagged concerns about under-reported injuries at the factory.&nbsp;

In an interview with Daily Mail, attorney Hannah Alexander stated that Tesla's reports to the authorities did not accurately reflect instances of injuries. Alexander, who works with the non-profit Workers Defense Project, cited her conversation with factory workers as proof.

As&nbsp;per Alexander, the under-reporting stretches to a worker's death on September 28, 2021. However, as per a report from the Travis County medical examiner, the worker, a contractor named Antelmo Ramírez, died of heat stroke. This reportedly happened while the construction worker was helping build Tesla's over 2,000-acre-long Giga Texas factory.

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"My advice would be to read that report with a grain of salt," she said.

"We've had multiple workers who were injured," said Alexander, adding, "and one worker who died, whose injuries or death are not in these reports that Tesla is supposed to be accurately completing and submitting to the county in order to get tax incentives."

Tesla is yet to release a statement on the issue.

<h2>Tesla's sub-par safety standards</h2>

Last year, the Workers Defense Project filed a complaint on behalf of workers at Giga Texas&nbsp;with the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). It alleged that Tesla's contractors and subcontractors gave some hires false safety certificates.

Previously, state regulators and investigative journalism non-profits have also voiced similar concerns about Tesla under-reporting cases.

An earlier report by the Center for Investigative Reporting's Reveal team found that to evade state regulators, Tesla had misclassified a number of on-the-job accidents and injuries as 'personal medical' cases.

Another report by California OSHA investigators found that, in 2018 alone, the company left out 36 injuries in its mandatory government filing.

(With inputs from agencies)

Robots are the future, yet, many warn that the technology is a danger to humans. Lending weight to this warning, in a shocking incident, at Tesla's Giga Texas factory near Austin, a malfunctioning robot reportedly attacked an engineer.

Robots are the future, yet, many warn that the technology is a danger to humans. Lending weight to this warning, in a shocking incident, at Tesla's Giga Texas factory near Austin, a malfunctioning robot reportedly attacked an engineer. As per a Daily Mail report, the incident occurred on November 10, 2021, in the section of the factory floor where the vehicle chassis is initially assembled. The incident adds to concerns about workplace safety and the risks associated with automation. The injuries Witnesses reported that the robot, designed to grab and move freshly cast aluminium car parts, pinned the Tesla engineer, who was programming software for other robots nearby. The engineer suffered injuries to his back and arm, leaving a "trail of blood" on the factory surface. The incident happened a couple of years back and was disclosed in a 2021 injury report filed by Tesla with the Travis County and federal regulators. Also read | Research team converts human cells into ‘bots’ that repaired tissue damage The injury report, submitted to maintain tax breaks in Texas, claimed that the engineer did not require time off work. A brief entry makes mention of a "laceration, cut, open wound" suffered by an "engineer", and identifies the "cause object" as a "robot". Is it all good? As per the report, an attorney representing Tesla's Giga Texas contract workers has flagged concerns about under-reported injuries at the factory. In an interview with Daily Mail, attorney Hannah Alexander stated that Tesla's reports to the authorities did not accurately reflect instances of injuries. Alexander, who works with the non-profit Workers Defense Project, cited her conversation with factory workers as proof. As per Alexander, the under-reporting stretches to a worker's death on September 28, 2021. However, as per a report from the Travis County medical examiner, the worker, a contractor named Antelmo Ramírez, died of heat stroke. This reportedly happened while the construction worker was helping build Tesla's over 2,000-acre-long Giga Texas factory. Also read | Scientists develop wireless charger that can be fitted inside human body, dissolve later "My advice would be to read that report with a grain of salt," she said. "We've had multiple workers who were injured," said Alexander, adding, "and one worker who died, whose injuries or death are not in these reports that Tesla is supposed to be accurately completing and submitting to the county in order to get tax incentives." Tesla is yet to release a statement on the issue. Tesla's sub-par safety standards Last year, the Workers Defense Project filed a complaint on behalf of workers at Giga Texas with the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). It alleged that Tesla's contractors and subcontractors gave some hires false safety certificates. Previously, state regulators and investigative journalism non-profits have also voiced similar concerns about Tesla under-reporting cases. An earlier report by the Center for Investigative Reporting's Reveal team found that to evade state regulators, Tesla had misclassified a number of on-the-job accidents and injuries as 'personal medical' cases. Another report by California OSHA investigators found that, in 2018 alone, the company left out 36 injuries in its mandatory government filing. (With inputs from agencies)

Robot at Tesla's Texas factory attacks engineer, leaving a 'trail of blood': Report

Robots will now be able to sense nearby objects, courtesy of researchers in Singapore who have developed a “smart foam” material.

The artificially innervated foam, or “AiFoam”, allows robots to repair itself when damaged, in a mechanism similar to how human skin repairs itself.

What is AiFoam?

The artificially innervated foam is a highly elastic polymer which scientists created using a mixture of fluoropolymer and a compound which enables low surface tension.

Owing to this, the material fuses into one piece when it is cut, as stated&nbsp;by researchers at the National University of Singapore.

<img alt="robot" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="11a4dce9-fb5f-423d-9e6b-98c3f47d9d78" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/3_46.jpg" />

"There are many applications for such a material, especially in&nbsp;robotics and prosthetic devices, where&nbsp;robots need to be a lot more intelligent when working around humans," lead researcher Benjamin Tee told Reuters.

But replicating human sensory characterises wasn’t simple. To attain this goal, scientists layered the material with microscopic metal particles. Later, they added small electrodes underneath the foam’s surface.

When pressure is exerted on the surface of the material, metal particles are drawn closer, which changes their electrical properties.

<img alt="lol" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="eafb39b0-f612-4442-adb3-e570c4fd1915" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/1_71.jpg" />

Researchers were able to witness these changes on a computer connected to electrodes. Based on this, the robot decides what to do.

"When I move my finger near the sensor, you can see the sensor is measuring the changes of my electrical field and responds accordingly to my touch," Tee added.

<img alt="heh" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="68a2e6bb-2329-4ff4-9ec0-2664ed10554f" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/2_57.jpg" />

What does this mean?

This implies that robots could be made more intelligent and responsive using similar methods and materials.

The scientists witnessed something game-changing in the process: Not only was the robotic hand able to process the amount of force, but also the direction of any applied force.

According to Tee, AiFoam is the first of its kind for it combines self-healing characteristics with distance and the ability to sense pressure.

<img alt="robot" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="10c05c7d-3c89-4b7b-9e31-a59c4c1af3a1" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/4_16.jpg" />

The team has spent the last two years working on the material, and they hope for it to be of practical use within five years.

But what about its human value? The technology could help people with prosthetics to use their robotic arms more intuitively.

(With inputs from agencies)

Robots will now be able to sense nearby objects, courtesy of researchers in Singapore who have developed a “smart foam” material. The artificially innervated foam, or “AiFoam”, allows robots to repair itself when damaged, in a mechanism similar to how human skin repairs itself.

Robots will now be able to sense nearby objects, courtesy of researchers in Singapore who have developed a “smart foam” material. The artificially innervated foam, or “AiFoam”, allows robots to repair itself when damaged, in a mechanism similar to how human skin repairs itself. What is AiFoam? The artificially innervated foam is a highly elastic polymer which scientists created using a mixture of fluoropolymer and a compound which enables low surface tension. Owing to this, the material fuses into one piece when it is cut, as stated by researchers at the National University of Singapore. "There are many applications for such a material, especially in robotics and prosthetic devices, where robots need to be a lot more intelligent when working around humans," lead researcher Benjamin Tee told Reuters. But replicating human sensory characterises wasn’t simple. To attain this goal, scientists layered the material with microscopic metal particles. Later, they added small electrodes underneath the foam’s surface. When pressure is exerted on the surface of the material, metal particles are drawn closer, which changes their electrical properties. Researchers were able to witness these changes on a computer connected to electrodes. Based on this, the robot decides what to do. "When I move my finger near the sensor, you can see the sensor is measuring the changes of my electrical field and responds accordingly to my touch," Tee added. What does this mean? This implies that robots could be made more intelligent and responsive using similar methods and materials. The scientists witnessed something game-changing in the process: Not only was the robotic hand able to process the amount of force, but also the direction of any applied force. According to Tee, AiFoam is the first of its kind for it combines self-healing characteristics with distance and the ability to sense pressure. The team has spent the last two years working on the material, and they hope for it to be of practical use within five years. But what about its human value? The technology could help people with prosthetics to use their robotic arms more intuitively. (With inputs from agencies)

In pics: 'Smart foam' helps robotic arm sense nearby objects and repair self

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Robot at Tesla's Texas factory attacks engineer, leaving a 'trail of blood': Report

In pics: 'Smart foam' helps robotic arm sense nearby objects and repair self