“Your next load of groceries may be moved by a modern-day bionic man or woman writes,” The Wall Street Journal (June 30, 2021) (Links to an external site.). The U.S. supply-chain arm of supermarket chains Stop & Shop and Food Lion is expanding its use of a newer type of wearable robotic technology that workers strap on to help ease the strain of lifting heavy boxes all day. The devices known as exosuits (shown in the photo) are a tech-filled step beyond the back belts that blue-collar workers often wear, laced with sensors and algorithms that detect how workers move and help them lift and load as they work through warehouses. The devices are the latest entry in a distribution sector wrestling with concerns over worker safety and health in warehouse operations that have boomed over the past year as consumers under pandemic lockdowns have turned to ordering goods online. Amazon.com has stepped up injury-prevention programs amid criticism of working conditions in its big fulfillment centers and warehouse operators are testing other technology aimed at reducing injuries from repetitive tasks. Companies have turned to more use of robots in warehousing operations but many tasks requiring fine-motor skills still must be performed by people. Cambridge, Mass.-based Verve Motion says its battery-powered devices can reduce 30% to 40% of the strain from lifting, helping relieve workers’ backs without restricting their movements. Discussion questions: Why are Amazon and food warehouses implementing exoskeletons in warehouses? What are the disadvantages of such devices?
“Your next load of groceries may be moved by a modern-day bionic man or woman writes,” The Wall Street Journal (June 30, 2021) (Links to an external site.). The U.S. supply-chain arm of supermarket chains Stop & Shop and Food Lion is expanding its use of a newer type of wearable robotic technology that workers strap on to help ease the strain of lifting heavy boxes all day.
The devices known as exosuits (shown in the photo) are a tech-filled step beyond the back belts that blue-collar workers often wear, laced with sensors and algorithms that detect how workers move and help them lift and load as they work through warehouses.
The devices are the latest entry in a distribution sector wrestling with concerns over worker safety and health in warehouse operations that have boomed over the past year as consumers under pandemic lockdowns have turned to ordering goods online.
Amazon.com has stepped up injury-prevention programs amid criticism of working conditions in its big fulfillment centers and warehouse operators are testing other technology aimed at reducing injuries from repetitive tasks.
Companies have turned to more use of robots in warehousing operations but many tasks requiring fine-motor skills still must be performed by people. Cambridge, Mass.-based Verve Motion says its battery-powered devices can reduce 30% to 40% of the strain from lifting, helping relieve workers’ backs without restricting their movements.
Discussion questions:
- Why are Amazon and food warehouses implementing exoskeletons in warehouses?
- What are the disadvantages of such devices?
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