Robotics - Articles

The changing face of manufacturing

Keeping safety at the forefront as automation increases and labor shortages continue

December 19, 2023

The past decade has seen a shift in the manufacturing industry, brought on by automation, the pandemic’s impact, and a labor shortage.

Robotics bring increased safety to facilities

Jane Marsh

February 28, 2023

Advanced robotics are increasingly common in the workplace, bringing several benefits to job sites as well as new challenges.

Safety requires enabling robots and employees to work in harmony

Upkeep is only one part of industrial robotic maintenance

Emily Newton

December 1, 2022

Today’s decision-makers have many reasons to focus on industrial robot maintenance. Some of them want to reduce the downtime associated with unplanned outages. Others understand that keeping robots well-maintained is a proven way to prolong their useful life spans. Those are valid reasons. However, safety should be the single factor driving all decisions made about robot maintenance.

Where automation meets the road

Innovation and engineering combine to create safer roadways

January 25, 2022

A manufacturer of robotic road painting systems, RoadPrintz Inc., based in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, unites pioneering innovation with sound engineering to produce operator-driven vehicles equipped with cutting-edge technology for the painting of road symbols without the use of stencils.

A new industrial revolution on the horizon

John Ritter

October 20, 2021

Even as companies are just now realizing the full array of benefits provided by Industry 4.0, there is a new industrial revolution on the horizon that integrates mankind and machine in ways only sci-fi movies once imagined. Industry 5.0 promises a workforce of human and machine collaborators capable of lightning fast efficiency with reduced risk.

Multi-application robots usher in the future of how facilities are cleaned

Pablo Molina

October 18, 2021

An emerging technology trend can help facility managers address the pressure and responsibility to uphold sky-high cleaning standards —automation. Some tasks are best performed by people, while others should be automated, allowing workers to focus on more core-business activities.

NIOSH, UW-Madison sign MOU to Advance Occupational Robotics Safety & Health Research

May 8, 2021

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Center for Occupational Robotics Research has signed an MOU with the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) to enable collaborative robotics research between the institutions and provide educational opportunities for UW-Madison students.

5 technologies to support social distancing in warehouses

Devin Partida

April 1, 2021

As the pandemic continues, warehouse workers are still adapting. In particular, social distancing is essential to prevent the spread of the virus, keep employees safe, and maintain operations.

Cover story

The factory of the future is now

Smart technology, the Internet of Things and robotics are changing manufacturing operations

Benita Mehta

November 6, 2020

Everyone has heard of the term “smart factory” by now, but what is it exactly, and how is it being implemented right now?

A workplace accident? Blame the robot!

October 21, 2019

A new study out of North Carolina State University sheds some interesting light on how employees – some of them, anyway – view their robotic co-workers. They blame them for workplace accidents – if they believe the robots are autonomous. Researchers showed study participants scenarios of several workplace accidents involving both a human and a robot.