Man crushed to death by robotic arm that mistook him for box of vegetables

A 40-year-old South Korean national was on Wednesday crushed to death by an industrial robot which reportedly mistook him for boxes of vegetables it was packaging.

The man, South Korean news agency Yonhap reports, was examining the robotic arm's sensor at a local factory when the machine erroneously confused him for a box of bell peppers.

The deceased, a robotics company employee, had been running operational tests on the robot to determine its efficacy when its sensor reportedly became unresponsive forcing him to examine it physically.

It reportedly thrust his body onto a conveyor belt, crushing his face and chest in the process.

He was rushed to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Local police have since launched investigations to determine whether the robotic arm had any technical defects or safety issues.