A 21-year-old external contractor was killed by a robot at a Volkswagen plant near Kassel, Germany, today, according to the Financial Times.
The man was working to install the machine when he was struck in the chest by the robot and pressed against a metal plate, the newspaper's website said. He later died of his injuries.
Prosecutors have opened an investigation into how the accident occurred.
Robot-related fatalities are rare in western production plants as heavy robots are kept behind safety cages to prevent accidental contact with humans, according to the newspaper.