Feature

Watch out! There’s a robot about!

I’m diving back into the topic of robots this month, thanks to Amazon. Is their new robotic safety belt necessary? I take a closer look.

04/03/2019 11:38:14

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Amazon employ a number of robots, over 100,000 in fact, to carry out certain tasks in the warehouse – mainly picking the item(s) you’ve just ordered online.
With all these robots roaming around the warehouse floor, you can imagine worker safety is a top priority. A number of human-robot incidents have been reported over the
years and according to the Mirror, in December, 12 Amazon workers were sent to hospital following incidents.

So, Amazon have come up with a simple safety solution.
Staff in the US are now being made to wear special belts to stop their robot colleagues from inadvertently injuring them. The Robotic Tech Vest works by simply
making the wearer visible to nearby robots – each belt gives off a signal, which the robot recognises and navigates around.

Read the full article in the March issue of DPA

Written By Sophia Bell

Sophia Bell is the Group Editor of DPA, Connectivity, and PBSI. She joined the team in 2020 as Assistant Editor after achieving a First-Class Honours BA in English Literature and Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. In her current role, she leads the editorial strategy, driving digital growth and ensuring each title continues to deliver trusted, relevant insight for engineering and manufacturing professionals.