[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/da\/article\/modal\/11209\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E Robots are becoming human helpers on the factory floor\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn the shopfloor of a Dutch machine manufacturer called Hankamp Gears, workers remove bulky equipment from a pallet, lift the material above their shoulders and painstakingly attach screws to it. Then helping hands suddenly show up to do the heavy lifting, allowing the workers to focus on the job of fastening.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut the hands aren\u2019t human. They belong to \u201ccollaborative robots\u201d, or cobots. They\u2019re part of a research project that received EU funding to develop a new generation of human-robot systems able to improve conditions for workers in manufacturing and increase industrial productivity.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrom pains to gains\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring the project, called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/871237\u0022\u003ESOPHIA\u003C\/a\u003E, researchers have mounted sensors on the cobots. Combined with machine learning to process data, the sensors measure the workers\u2019 movements to gauge whether tasks need to be altered or\u0026nbsp;loads redistributed to suit the people \u2013 without them even noticing.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Cobots can improve productivity and the way people work,\u2019 said Dr Arash Ajoudani, head of the Human-Robot Interfaces and Interaction laboratory at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa. \u2018If a person is performing a task with a cobot instead of another person, the cobot can change its way of operating to put everything in favour of the person.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAjoudani leads SOPHIA, which is due to end in April 2024 after four and a half years including a six-month prolongation. It has brought together experts from organisations in six European countries. Besides Italy, the partners are from Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Slovenia.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers\u2019 main takeaway is that automation in the manufacturing sector is a big opportunity for companies and workers rather than a serious threat to jobs. That\u2019s because, with the help of cobots, workers are freed up for more skilled tasks and become more valuable to employers.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The problem is not robots taking jobs,\u2019\u0026nbsp;Ajoudani said. \u2018The problem is finding enough people to do low-skilled jobs.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe highlighted the point with an example from agriculture, saying many low-skilled roles that were once commonplace have all but died out.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Nobody knows how to milk a cow, but 150 years ago, if you didn\u2019t, you wouldn\u2019t survive,\u2019\u0026nbsp;Ajoudani said. \u2018Maybe in 100 years a worker won\u2019t need to be able to lift and move a box, just how to programme a robot to do it. Those jobs eventually \u2013 very gradually \u2013 disappear.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESmooth operators\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe SOPHIA team has worked with manufacturers in the automotive sector \u2013 German carmaker Volkswagen as well as Hankamp Gears among them \u2013 to design cobots that behave as factory-floor workers\u2019 allies.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAjoudani said the next step is to improve cobots\u2019 ability to act on their own. That in turn requires specific training for the people who work with the cobots and oversee their performance.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003EThe problem is finding enough people to do low-skilled jobs.\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EDr Arash Ajoudani, SOPHIA\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018To get there we need to make them collaborative, combining human supervision skills with robots\u2019 sturdiness,\u2019 Ajoudani said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESOPHIA is part of a series of EU-funded research projects to advance the possibilities for robots and other emerging machines to work alongside people in ways that improve both worker wellbeing and business efficiency.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe whole idea is called \u201cIndustry 5.0\u201d \u2013 the European Commission\u2019s approach to placing workers at the centre of production as the EU manufacturing sector undergoes a digital and green transformation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEnsuring mental wellbeing in the workplace of the future is one element of the overall strategy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA separate EU-funded research project examined whether cobots can make workers happier. Called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/847926\u0022\u003EMindBot\u003C\/a\u003E, the project ended in September 2023 after almost four years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt brought together Belgian, Croatian, German and Italian researchers who work for technology companies, manufacturers and public agencies and who\u0026nbsp;focus on everything from psychology to engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGoing with the flow\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe MindBot team based its work on the psychological concept of \u201cflow\u201d \u2013\u0026nbsp;in which people feel motivated and focused when their skill level matches the task at hand.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018No one can be in a state of flow 100% of the time,\u2019\u0026nbsp;said Dr Fabio Storm,\u0026nbsp;a researcher at the Italy-based IRCCS Eugenio Medea scientific institute, which led the project. \u2018We\u0026nbsp;wanted to see if we could understand when flow was happening.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team started out by observing the use of cobots and their interactions with people in several manufacturing facilities, including in the automotive and electronic-components sectors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EQuestionnaires and observation helped establish a baseline of the physical and mental effort required by workers who interacted with robotic partners.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003EIt is important to fit the job to the person, not the opposite.\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EDr Fabio Storm, MindBot\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers then simulated realistic shifts for volunteers in a lab, working with a robotic arm to which technological modules had been added. Aided by video-based algorithms and artificial intelligence, optical sensors helped to measure the levels of physical fatigue of the human workers.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe cobot was programmed to respond to the data provided by the sensors, slowing down to match each human worker\u2019s pace\u0026nbsp;if it ebbed towards the end of\u0026nbsp;a shift.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team also developed an avatar for the cobot on a tablet to interact with the workers. That wasn\u2019t too much of a stretch for the workers as many had already come up with nicknames \u2013 one was \u201cRobbie\u201d \u2013 for their cobot colleagues, according to Storm.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInformation gleaned from the questionnaires\u0026nbsp;helped the team fine-tune the technologies to improve the tasks.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Many of the areas we looked at don\u2019t really focus on the technology but on its effect on human workers,\u2019 said Storm.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInclusive angle\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother aspect of the MindBot research on cobots explored how companies can better integrate autistic people into the workforce.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith the aid of psychologists, the team developed information for workers to help prepare them for any particularly sensitive aspect of the job or environment \u2013 for example, if they would need to get used to loud noises or bright lights. That included mapping out specific tasks step-by-step to make it easier for workers to anticipate what they would need to do.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It is important to fit the job to the person, not the opposite,\u2019 Storm said. \u2018We wanted to show that manufacturing could be an employment option for autistic people.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMindBot has submitted related employment guidelines to the European Commission for review and hopes that they\u2019ll be published.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn any case, the work done under the project won\u2019t end here because the team members plan to investigate together other aspects of how robotics can improve workplace conditions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Many of MindBot\u2019s tools, methods and findings have already been used in other activities or will be,\u2019 Storm said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU. 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