Monarch Tractor’s recent petition to Cal/OSHA may have been denied, but this outcome is not the setback many fear. CEO Praveen Penmetsa shares why.

Technology providers such as Qualcomm are offering robotics development ‘platforms’ that incorporate ML and 5G enablers. But development platforms alone are not enough to drive robotics innovation forward, at least not until the supply robotics engineering talent exceeds demand.

Most industry experts agree that the technological capabilities for driverless tractors are there… and many farmers and technology providers believe it is more a matter of “when” than “if.”

The next production revolution will be a boon for a global economy that is sputtering and experiencing lagging growth and investment. This new technology wave should lead to a virtuous cycle of increased investment, higher productivity, more spending, and more investment.

HeroWear’s back-assist Apex exosuit, which reduces back strain when objects are lifted, can be adjusted to fit workers of all sizes — both men and women. Imagine that.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can improve many operational aspects of AGVs and AMRs, and increase worker satisfaction. As such, AI must be a fundamental building block in robotics design and harnessed by management.

Distribution Centers are exploiting data and using Labor Management Software (LMS) to optimize processes, overcome labor challenges, and drive automation deployments, including robotics systems.

Companies continue to come to market with robotics solutions that seek to remedy the agricultural sector’s ongoing labor shortage challenge, especially pronounced in advanced economies, as well as the need to pay a living wage to workers.

The jobs robots create demand a high skill level, so to build a sustainable workforce companies must develop a strategy for upskilling their current workers, and also have plans in place for training future employees.

When inflexible automation collides with manufacturing trends requiring more flexibility, productivity suffers. Why? Manufacturing as currently practiced — with poor human-machine collaboration — is not sufficiently responsive to the long-term trends of shorter product life cycles and increasing product diversity.

Increased automation—with its ability to significantly boost societal productivity—is needed to help modern nations address seemingly intractable challenges such as sluggish wage growth, aging populations, rising health care costs, environmental restorations, global competitiveness, and often-worrisome levels of public sector debt.

New research by MIT economist Daron Acemoglu shows that since 1987, automation has taken away jobs from lower-skill workers without being replaced by an equivalent number of labor-market opportunities.

Labor shortages and high levels of workplace injury and illness have always challenged the food manufacturing sector, especially meat producers. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation. Robotics automation provides a solution.

Designers and engineers require prototypes to verify product design and manufacturability and engineering, before moving on to full production. But how can start-ups and smaller companies, who lack the high level of resources and expertise of larger firms, rapidly develop their prototypes? Outsourcing provides one solution.

A new study co-authored by an MIT economist Daron Acemoglu shows firms that move quickly to use robots tend to add workers to their payroll, while industry job losses are more concentrated in firms that make this change more slowly.

MIT economist Daron Acemoglu’s new research puts a number on the job costs of automation.

Safety considerations and additional programming work can benefit workplaces utilizing collaborative robot technologies.

Impact of automation yet to be felt, and workers remain optimistic that it will help their future work.

Wearable headset provides a conduit between robots, IoT equipment and AI data.

Get ready for the week in robotics by catching up on some news items from last week.

U.S. jobs in some regions could be more vulnerable to displacement from automation than others, having a direct affect on elections. And the governments of Taiwan and Iran look to artificial intelligence for new applications.

This week saw continued fears from people over artificial intelligence being used to create autonomous weapons, or that robots may take jobs from lower-skilled workers.

AI policy isn’t just about chips; it also affects where driverless vehicles will go, global workforces, and manufacturing competitiveness.

Major manufacturers have taken the lead in reshoring American jobs and adopting industrial automation, writes our guest columnist.

A LivePerson survey found that many Americans are worried about robots taking jobs, but less about automation affecting their own work. What should government and business do in response?