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Using robots in nursing homes linked to ‘higher employee retention, better patient care’

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Robot use is associated with increased employment and employee retention, improved productivity and a higher quality of care, according to a new study

Facing high employee turnover and an aging population, nursing homes have increasingly turned to robots to complete a variety of care tasks, but few researchers have explored how these technologies impact workers and the quality of care.

A new study from a University of Notre Dame expert on the future of work finds that robot use is associated with increased employment and employee retention, improved productivity and a higher quality of care. The research has important implications for the workplace and the long-term care industry.

Yong Suk Lee, associate professor of technology, economy and global affairs at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, was the lead author for the study, published in Labour Economics. [Read more…] about Using robots in nursing homes linked to ‘higher employee retention, better patient care’

Fieldwork Robotics partners with specialist manufacturer Burro

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Fieldwork Robotics, a developer of selective, adaptive and modular harvesting robots, has signed a collaboration agreement with Burro, a manufacturer of autonomous and collaborative mobile robot platforms.

Raspberry growers are particularly impacted by the significant and growing labour crisis affecting the agricultural sector.

As cost of labour grows driven by minimum wage increases and availability of labour remains pressured, growers are looking towards innovation to mitigate against labour cost headwinds and against the inevitable greater challenge of seasonal worker availability in the future. [Read more…] about Fieldwork Robotics partners with specialist manufacturer Burro

Medica 2024: NSK robots lift the burden for key hospital workers

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Designed to make life easier for hard-working healthcare professionals, NSK will showcase its latest advances in robotic solutions at Medica 2024 (11-14 November, Düsseldorf, Germany).

Appearing for the first time in Europe, a motorised stretcher assistance robot will provide the display’s centrepiece.

Further exhibits at Booth B16 in Hall 9 will include an actuator for regenerative and cell medicine applications that offers ultra-low particle emission and decontamination-resistant characteristics. [Read more…] about Medica 2024: NSK robots lift the burden for key hospital workers

Italian port Livorno provides Comau exoskeletons to cargo handlers

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The logistics and cargo handling activities carried out in the port environment are largely managed manually by workers in order to ensure the required operational standards.

With the aim of making their employees’ tasks easier, more efficient and ergonomic, the Autorità di Sistema Portuale del Mar Tirreno Settentrionale (Port System Authority of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, AdSP MTS) and the Compagnia Portuale di Livorno (Livorno Port Company, CPL), together with IUVO, a spin-off company of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa), and Comau have conducted a pilot study – among the first carried out in Europe and in the world – for the adoption of wearable MATE-XT and MATE-XB exoskeletons designed by the 2 companies.

MATE-XT helps to reduce the muscle load of the upper limbs during static or repetitive activities, which require workers to keep their arms raised for extended periods of time, while MATE-XB relieves the muscle effort of the lumbar area when handling loads. [Read more…] about Italian port Livorno provides Comau exoskeletons to cargo handlers

Industry group proposes plan to increase automation in logistics facilities

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The warehousing and storage industry faces growing demand to deliver goods across the country as consumers purchase more goods online.

To address the productivity crunch and improve workers’ well-being, policymakers should establish measures to support robotic automation in logistics facilities, according to a new report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the leading think tank for science and technology policy.

Morgan Stevens, a research assistant at ITIF who wrote the report, says: “Firms need to adopt robotics to help workers accomplish more per hour and stay safe while doing so. [Read more…] about Industry group proposes plan to increase automation in logistics facilities

Will a robot take my job? Notre Dame researcher says this view is overly pessimistic

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With the impact of industrial robots on the US labor markets in the past two decades, and an ever-increasing presence of machine-driven technology (such as artificial intelligence and ChatGPT), many employees have feared that one day robots will take their jobs.

Not necessarily so, according to research recently published by Yong Suk Lee, an assistant professor in the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs.

He and his co-author, Auburn University’s John Chung, found that industrial robots, particularly those used within the automotive industry, complemented human workers rather than replaced them – some even working collaboratively, side-by-side. [Read more…] about Will a robot take my job? Notre Dame researcher says this view is overly pessimistic

How Robotics Can Help Manufacturers Solve Labor Shortages

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Manufacturing is critical to the United States and the Midwest. It’s responsible for creating jobs, supporting businesses, and generating economic growth. Manufacturing is also a key driver of innovation, helping to create new products and technologies that can improve our lives.

Nationwide, manufacturing was the fourth-largest employment sector in 2021, with more than 12 million employees. In the Midwest, it’s the largest employment sector. But like many other industries, manufacturers are facing a major challenge – a shortage of skilled workers.

Even if every skilled worker in the country was employed in manufacturing, Forbes reports there would still be 35 percent more job openings than workers capable of filling them. By 2030, Deloitte predicts the industry will be short by more than 2 million workers. [Read more…] about How Robotics Can Help Manufacturers Solve Labor Shortages

Foundry workers given ‘robotic’ glove to improve grip and protect hands

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Waupaca Foundry is using an innovative adaptive technology to support workers who manually grind iron castings in the foundry. The “Ironhand” glove is claimed to be the world’s first soft exoskeleton designed for the human hand to improve grip strength and reduce effort.

The system was tested at the iron casting supplier’s Etowah, Tennessee casting finishing plant and is currently in trials at the Marinette, Wisconsin ductile iron foundry.

The system consists of a glove covering all five fingers, and a power pack worn in a backpack or hip-carry. It is activated when the operator starts moving his/her hand to perform a task, using sensors located on the palm and on the fingers. [Read more…] about Foundry workers given ‘robotic’ glove to improve grip and protect hands

BMC selects Zebra to automate operations

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Zebra Technologies, an industrial automation company, says Bespoke Manufacturing Company, an apparel manufacturer, has selected S&H Systems and Zebra’s Fetch autonomous mobile robots and fixed industrial scanners to improve visibility and productivity.

Zebra’s solution will improve BMC’s workflow visibility from the initial printing and cutting of fabric to the final phase of packing and shipping, increasing efficiency and productivity and allowing the manufacturer to scale up to meet growing demand.

BMC selected Zebra’s end-to-end industrial and robotics automation solution to enable front-line workers to focus on production. Its entire workflow logistics are delegated to Zebra’s Fetch AMRs and fixed industrial scanners which move, trace and direct workpieces to their destinations. [Read more…] about BMC selects Zebra to automate operations

Formic supplies 58-year-old family-run factory Compact Industries with its first robotic system

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Formic, a supplier of automation technology on a pay-as-you-go basis, has supplied 58-year-old family-run factory Compact Industries with its first robotic system.

Located in St Charles, Illinois, Compact faced challenges of a shrinking labor pool, high worker turnover, and supply and wage inflation; struggled to meet the increasing demands of the Fortune 500 companies it serves.

Formic’s robots-as-a-service model activated a cobot within hours of delivery, cut costs on hiring and re-training temporary workers, and enhanced safety. [Read more…] about Formic supplies 58-year-old family-run factory Compact Industries with its first robotic system