[{"command":"settings","settings":{"ajaxPageState":{"theme":"hm_theme","theme_token":"6MfK43KF_e2QIlQkMU34CuPV2UmRDTH4PfZp1iQ77Kc","libraries":"eJwDAAAAAAE"},"ajaxTrustedUrl":{"form_action_p_pvdeGsVG5zNF_XLGPTvYSKCf43t8qZYSwcfZl2uzM":true},"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"2af85631393b514cbde3779a1f71d92618d53b94b54ea1960d28b2e2d121ff12"}},"merge":true},{"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\/en\/article\/modal\/7127\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\u003EConcerns linger over workplace robots, even as they deliver benefits\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the EU, 72% of people \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/skillspanorama.cedefop.europa.eu\/en\/blog\/machines-robots-and-threat-automation-eu-jobs#note2\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eare scared that technology could steal their jobs\u003C\/a\u003E. With predictions that \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cedefop.europa.eu\/en\/publications-and-resources\/publications\/3075\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Erobots and automation could replace nearly half of jobs in developed countries,\u003C\/a\u003E the concern is understandable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWorkers are worried that they will be expected to work at a quicker pace when new technology, such as robots, is put in place, says Professor Anu-Hanna Anttila, head of research at the Finnish Industrial Union in Helsinki, who has studied factory workers\u2019 attitudes towards technology in the workplace. They also have concerns that machines might evaluate their performance and rank employees in terms of productivity, she says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut robots could also replace undesirable jobs while creating new ones. They are set to continue taking over dangerous manual and tedious tasks, such as operating heavy machinery in manufacturing and construction or handling hazardous chemicals in a lab.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018They are the (tasks) where perhaps there is most need for robots,\u2019 said Dr \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/jlaw.staff.shef.ac.uk\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EJames Law\u003C\/a\u003E, a researcher and leader of the collaborative robotics - or cobotics - group at the University of Sheffield in the UK. According to Dr Law, human jobs will change to oversee robots or take on other roles that make better use of our cognitive and perceptual abilities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EToday, robots in the workplace largely function independently, but they are likely to collaborate with humans more and more in the future. But there are still hurdles to overcome before that happens. There need to be safeguards to ensure that robots aren\u2019t hacked into maliciously. Finding ways to make interactions safe, such as making sure that fast-moving robots don\u2019t knock into people or injure them by using too much force, is vital.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Safety is a primary concern, particularly in manufacturing environments where you might have large robots lifting heavy or sharp objects,\u2019 said Dr Law.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u0026#039;It\u0026#039;s great to say that robots are going to be doing the horrible, nasty, messy, dangerous jobs. But is that what the people doing those jobs actually want?\u0026#039;\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr James Law, University of Sheffield, UK\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIntuitive \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFurthermore, there is a need to find simple ways for employees to interact with robots, especially as they become more complex. It could be through graphical interfaces, speech or gesture, says Dr Law, who thinks they could become as intuitive to use as mobile phones.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Everyone is confident using mobile phones now even though they\u0027re quite complex,\u2019 he said. \u2018I think we\u2019re going to see the same thing happening with robots.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere are technical problems to solve, too. Rich Walker, the managing director of Shadow Robot Company, which is based in London, UK, has been building robot hands for research institutions for the past 20 years. Programming them to perform certain tasks automatically is still a challenge.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough robot hands can identify different objects based on photos and pick them up, manipulating an object, such as twisting or turning it with its fingers, is tricky. \u2018What\u0027s been interesting for us is how hard it is to replicate what the human brain does to get a hand to do something,\u2019 said Walker.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWalker and his colleagues found that their robot hands can complete tasks more easily when a human controls them remotely. A person\u2019s finger movements can be tracked and replicated by the artificial hand. \u2018You can show the robot the task and it can then repeat it identically,\u2019 said Walker. \u2018And then you could put the robot somewhere you can\u0027t or don\u2019t want to be.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETheir robot hands are still in development but Walker foresees them being used in manufacturing. They could be used for more sophisticated production line tasks such as loading different types of objects, which currently requires human involvement. They are also of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/article\/robots-being-readied-enter-nuclear-no-go-zones.html\u0022\u003Einterest for nuclear decommissioning\u003C\/a\u003E, where people currently have to wear protective equipment and use unwieldy tools to deal with radioactive materials. \u2018If we can put a robot hand in with the same capabilities as a human hand, that robot hand can touch the problem and do the job for them,\u2019 said Walker.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Bram Vanderborght of robotics research centre Brubotics at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium,\u0026nbsp;says collaborative robots\u0026nbsp;working alongside humans, rather than big industrial machines,\u0026nbsp;could benefit small businesses in the future. \u2018They answer both economical needs \u2026 (and) taking care of the health and well-being\u0026nbsp;of the workers,\u0027 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the future, technical advances in areas such as soft robotics could mean robots carry out more delicate tasks such as picking strawberries or helping perform surgery. Prof. Vanderborght is\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/220562\/factsheet\/en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Edeveloping a new generation of machines\u003C\/a\u003E such as soft robotic hands made from polymers with chemical bonds that can self-heal if they get damaged.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Imagine a future where a robot can heal itself like we do with our wounds,\u2019 he said. Self-healing robots could be more sustainable, as broken machines would not need to be discarded and could cut out costly, time-consuming manual repairs, according to Prof. Vanderborght.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHealth and safety\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo far, using robots in the workplace has had benefits. Industrial robots have been widely adopted in factories where according to Prof. Anttila, the health and safety of workers has improved. A union representative from one factory told her that health problems had decreased since robots took over physically demanding tasks on the production line. Previously, workers often suffered from shoulder and neck problems and carpal tunnel syndrome.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Anttila thinks that as robots are more widely deployed in the workplace, there could be further perks. Workers will become more qualified and possibly earn more as they learn to use new technology. And robots will likely be able to do tasks more efficiently and therefore speed up the production process, resulting in reduced work hours for employees. \u2018Maybe six hours workdays could become possible,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMore research is needed, however, to figure out how robots can best be integrated in the workplace. Dr Law thinks that researchers need to take a closer look at how robots will impact workers and involve potential users in the design process. \u2018I don\u2019t think there has been enough work going on looking at how robots are accepted and trusted by users,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis team is working with industrial partners to better understand workers\u2019 concerns. They are asking potential users how robots could help them and what kind of interfaces or information they would need to work with them effectively. They want users to influence the design of robots, Dr Law says, which can increase confidence in robotic technology. \u2018It\u0027s great to say that robots are going to be doing the horrible, nasty, messy, dangerous jobs. But is that what the people doing those jobs actually want?\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Law expects that robotics researchers will gradually shift away from technical problems to studying more human elements. There are still a lot of questions to answer about the wider societal impact of robots which require interdisciplinary collaborations. \u2018We need psychologists looking at the impact on users,\u2019 he said. \u2018And we need engineers and people from the humanities to be able to understand all the issues around human-robot interaction.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWalker, who is on the board of directors of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.eu-robotics.net\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EEU Robotics\u003C\/a\u003E, an organisation for the robotics community in Europe, has been encouraging roboticists to move away from pure research and focus on innovations that can be deployed for practical uses.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe initiative has led to the robotics and big data communities coming together, which he thinks will drive new developments in artificial intelligence (AI). \u2018That\u0027s been a very exciting development to come out of this,\u2019 said Walker.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Prof. Vanderborght, advancements using AI can help cobots learn and become better and more adaptive as they go into new environments. \u2018They have to learn new tasks and that\u2019s where AI can play a big role,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EOn 26 September, \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cem\u003EProf. Vanderborght will be participating in a session called \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/digital-single-market\/events\/cf\/european-research-and-innovation-days\/item-display.cfm?id=23551\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EMaking Robots Work\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E at the EU\u2019s \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch \u0026amp; Innovation Days to help shape the scope of EU research and policy on AI from 2021-2027.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022moreinfoblock\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3\u003EEuropean Research \u0026amp; Innovation Days\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/research-and-innovation\/events\/upcoming-events\/european-research-and-innovation-days_en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EEuropean Research \u0026amp; Innovation Days\u003C\/a\u003E, which will take place in Brussels, Belgium, from 24 to 26 September, are designed to bring together policymakers, academics, industry, civil society and entrepreneurs to discuss how research and innovation can help tackle the major issues facing the EU over the next decade.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe idea is to seek a wide range of opinions from experts and interested parties about priorities for the first four years of the EU\u2019s upcoming \u20ac100 billion research funding programme,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/horizon-europe-next-research-and-innovation-framework-programme_en\u0022\u003EHorizon Europe\u003C\/a\u003E. In addition to conference sessions, policymakers from the EU and national administrations will be available throughout the event in a space called Horizon Village to gather further input from participants.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe event, which is set to be an annual affair, consists of a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/research-and-innovation\/events\/upcoming-events\/european-research-and-innovation-days\/policy-conference_en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Epolicy conference\u003C\/a\u003E to shape the Horizon Europe work programme, an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/research-and-innovation\/events\/upcoming-events\/european-research-and-innovation-days\/innovative-europe-hub_en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Einnovation hub\u003C\/a\u003E for innovators and investors to network, and a public exhibition called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/research-and-innovation\/events\/upcoming-events\/european-research-and-innovation-days\/science-wonderful-exhibition_en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EScience is Wonderful!\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-etoidbql5tnhw8ydfavqs05dv2xhg0soturq6kpfst8\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-EtoidBqL5tnhw8YDFaVqs05DV2xhg0SOtURQ6KPfST8\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]