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New European robots could become the best allies of workers, instead of taking their jobs | technology



For decades, the presence of robots in workplaces has been a source of concern for citizens due to the fear that they will replace human labor and increase unemployment. Now, with the creation of more complex, humanoid robots, the landscape is changing and there are already those who see them as promising co-workers rather than unwanted competitors.

Companions “Cobot”

An example is the Italian industrial automation company Comau. This company has developed a robot that can collaborate with employees and, at the same time, improve their safety in the most rigorous cleanroom environments in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, electronics, food and beverage industries. This innovation is called a collaborative bot cubot.

The cubot de Comau is a robotic arm designed to perform handling and assembly tasks, switching from industrial speed to low speed mode when a person enters the work area. This new feature allows the use of one robot instead of two, which increases productivity and provides protection for personnel.

“It was a huge advance to allow a dual mode of play,” says Sotiris Makris, a robotics expert at the University of Patras (Greece). “It can be used as a traditional bot or the staff themselves can change its location to use it as a utility when it’s in a collaborative mode.” Makris was coordinator of the recently completed EU-funded SHERLOCK project, which explored new ways to safely combine human and robotic capabilities from an often-overlooked area of ​​research: psychosocial well-being.

Creativity and inclusivity

Robots can help society by freeing people from the most repetitive and boring tasks so that they can focus on more creative activities. Furthermore, robotic technologies that can effectively collaborate with people can make workplaces more inclusive, for example by assisting employees with disabilities.

It is important to seize these opportunities as the structure and age of the European workforce change. For example, the proportion of 55-64-year-olds working in the European Union increased from 12.5% ​​in 2009 to 19% in 2021. Besides this social dimension, there is also an economic benefit from increased industrial efficiency, which indicates that either of the two domains, human and robot, must necessarily be to the detriment of the other.

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“Due to new developments in robotics, competition is increasing all over the world,” says Makris. This calls for work and continuous improvement in Europe.” Makris gives an example of robots being developed by Tesla, the automaker led by Elon Musk. Other ongoing developments include wearable robots, bionic limbs, and exoskeleton suits, which promise to enhance the capabilities of people in their workplace.

However, the rapid advances in robotics pose significant challenges in ensuring that they are effectively integrated into the workplace and meet the individual needs of the people who work with them.

case for SHERLOCK Corporation

Sherlock has also studied the potential of intelligent exoskeletons to help workers carry and handle heavy parts in settings such as workshops, warehouses or assembly sites. They switched to sensors wearable and artificial intelligence to control and track human movements.

With this information, the goal is to adapt the exoskeleton to the needs of the specific mission, while helping the wearer maintain a comfortable working position to avoid injury.

“Using the sensors to gather data about the functioning of the exoskeleton has allowed us to better see and understand the human condition,” says Makris. “We now have prototypes that show how external structures can continue to be redesigned and developed in the future, based on different user profiles and different countries.”

Project Sherlock, which just ended after four years, brought together 18 European organizations from multiple countries, from Greece to Italy and the United Kingdom, dedicated to different areas of robotics. The broad spectrum of participants allowed the project to bring together a variety of viewpoints, which, according to Dr. Makris, was also beneficial given the different national regulations on robotics technology integration.

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As a result of the interaction between these robotic systems and humans, the software It’s advanced enough to guide “future developments on what kinds of features these robots should have and how the workplace should be designed,” McCris says.

The usual hands with new tools

CO-ADAPT, another EU-funded project that ended this year, also benefited from cobots To help seniors navigate digital workplaces.

The project team developed an adaptable workstation equipped with cubot assisting employees with assembly tasks, such as making a phone, car, or toy; In short, to combine, during the manufacturing process, any combination of individual parts until the final product is obtained. The station can adapt the height and illumination of the workbench to the physical characteristics and visual capabilities of each person. It also includes other features, such as eye-tracking glasses, which collect information about your mental workload.

According to Prof. Julio Jakocchi, Co-ADAPT Coordinator and Computer Scientist at the University of Helsinki (Finland), this provides valuable information on the needs of all kinds of people. “Depending on the skills of each individual, there are interesting differences in terms of the work that has to be done by the machine and the work that has to be done by the person, as well as how much guidance the machine has to provide and the way it is done,” Jaccucci explains. “This is an important job that deals with basic aspects of its operation.

However, the premises are equipped with cobots which can fully tap into and respond to the mental states of people in real life, which can still be many years away, Jaccucci says: “It’s very complicated because, in addition to everything related to the mechanical part, one is trying to understand the state of people on the basis of their psychological and physiological state.

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At the same time, as new technologies can be used more easily to improve the workplace, CO-ADAPT has also explored digitalization on a larger scale.

Smart shifts

It was a field of study software “Smart shift scheduling”, which organizes employees’ work periods based on their personal circumstances. This approach has been shown to reduce sick leave, stress and sleep disturbances among health and social care staff.

“This is a great example of how work ability can be improved using empirical insights into well-being-based menu preparation,” explains Prof Jaccucci. Computer Scientist highlights the importance of focusing on people to achieve a future that integrates digital tools and robotics well: “Suppose you have to cooperate with a robot on an assembly task, should the robot know your cognitive and other abilities? How do you divide the task?”, he adds.

Essentially, what the project is trying to convey is that there are still many possibilities to improve and enrich work environments. “It shows that there is a lot of potential still to be tapped,” Jaccucci concludes.

The research described in this article was supported by European Union funds. The article was originally published in horizonEuropean Union journal of research and innovation.

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