How Well Can People Work with Robots?
2020-01-06
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1Robots have become common in warehouses across America.
2Warehouses are centers where products are stored and organized before they are sent to buyers.
3Manufacturers of robots say the machines can do the most repetitive and difficult jobs.
4But critics warn that they are also creating new forms of stress and even injuries.
5Amanda Taillon's job is to enter a robot-only area to fix problems in one of Amazon's warehouses in the state of Connecticut.
6Sometimes she has to pick up a fallen toy or ease a traffic jam.
7She uses a belt that works like a superhero's force field.
8It can command the nearest robots to stop and the others to slow down or change their paths.
9"They weigh a lot," she said of the robots.
10Critics say that this kind of human-machine cooperation has its problems.
11They say that keeping up with the pace of the new technology is hurting human workers' health and morale.
12Beth Gutelius studies urban economic development at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
13She has spoken with warehouse operators around the U.S.
14She said human burnout is a problem in warehouses where robotics and artificial intelligence, or AI software are being used.
15She said that is because the robots add more work and increase the pressure on workers to speed up their performance.
16Recently, reporters investigated injury rates at Amazon warehouses.
17They found that robotic warehouses reported more injuries than those without the machines.
18Reporters with the Center for Investigative Reporting's website Reveal studied records from 28 Amazon warehouses in 16 states.
19They found that the rate of serious injuries was more than two times the warehousing industry average.
20Amazon, however, says that it is misleading to compare its rate with other companies.
21That is because the company says it has an "aggressive stance on recording injuries no matter how big or small."
22The Reveal report also found a connection between robots and safety problems, such as in Tracy, California.
23There, the serious injury rate nearly quadrupled in the four years after robots were introduced.
24Amazon has not released information on how its safety record at robot-powered warehouses compares to those without.
25But company officials believe that Amazon workers are able to deal with the new technology.
26Companies say they cannot quickly fulfill buyers' demands for packages without fast-moving pods, robots and other forms of automation.
27The increased use of robots and AI is changing warehouse work in a way that the head of Amazon Robotics says can "extend human capability."
28The idea is that robots can help people to do what they are best at: problem solving.
29Tye Brady is Amazon Robotics' chief technologist.
30He said having people and robots work together permits the company to offer lower prices.
31Brady said worker safety remains very important.
32But Gutelius, the University of Illinois researcher, said that the hope for easy human-machine operations is not a reality.
33"It sounds quite lovely, but I rarely hear from a worker's perspective that that's what it feels like," she said.
34Amazon has more than 200,000 "drives," or robotic vehicles, that move goods through its warehouses around the U.S.
35That is two times the number it had in 2018.
36Much of the growth in warehouse robotics came in 2012 when Amazon bought Kiva Systems.
37Afterwards, Kiva Systems became Amazon Robotics.
38For seven years, the company has been designing and building Amazon's robots.
39Amazon's move to buy Kiva influenced its competitors, said Jim Liefer.
40He is chief of the San Francisco company, Kindred AI. It makes an AI robotic arm used by companies such as The Gap clothing store.
41Melonee Wise is chief of California-based Fetch Robotics.
42The company sells robotic carts.
43She credits Amazon with causing the industry to develop new technologies.
44But she said Amazon's system forces workers to do "un-ergonomic moves" such as reaching up very high or down low.
45"They have robots that live in cages," she said. "Our robots are designed to work safely around people."
46Taillon, the Amazon employee you met at the beginning of this report, said that she has gotten used to working with robots.
47She described how she felt when first working with them.
48"When you're out there, and you can hear them moving around, but you can't see them, it's like, 'Where are they going to come from?'," she said.
49"It's a little nerve-racking at first."
50I'm Jill Robbins.
51And I'm John Russell.
1Robots have become common in warehouses across America. 2Warehouses are centers where products are stored and organized before they are sent to buyers. 3Manufacturers of robots say the machines can do the most repetitive and difficult jobs. But critics warn that they are also creating new forms of stress and even injuries. 4Working with robots 5Amanda Taillon's job is to enter a robot-only area to fix problems in one of Amazon's warehouses in the state of Connecticut. Sometimes she has to pick up a fallen toy or ease a traffic jam. 6She uses a belt that works like a superhero's force field. It can command the nearest robots to stop and the others to slow down or change their paths. 7"They weigh a lot," she said of the robots. 8Criticisms of robots and AI 9Critics say that this kind of human-machine cooperation has its problems. They say that keeping up with the pace of the new technology is hurting human workers' health and morale. 10Beth Gutelius studies urban economic development at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has spoken with warehouse operators around the U.S. 11She said human burnout is a problem in warehouses where robotics and artificial intelligence, or AI software are being used. She said that is because the robots add more work and increase the pressure on workers to speed up their performance. 12Recently, reporters investigated injury rates at Amazon warehouses. They found that robotic warehouses reported more injuries than those without the machines. 13Reporters with the Center for Investigative Reporting's website Reveal studied records from 28 Amazon warehouses in 16 states. They found that the rate of serious injuries was more than two times the warehousing industry average. 14Amazon, however, says that it is misleading to compare its rate with other companies. That is because the company says it has an "aggressive stance on recording injuries no matter how big or small." 15The Reveal report also found a connection between robots and safety problems, such as in Tracy, California. There, the serious injury rate nearly quadrupled in the four years after robots were introduced. 16Amazon has not released information on how its safety record at robot-powered warehouses compares to those without. But company officials believe that Amazon workers are able to deal with the new technology. 17Benefits of using robots 18Companies say they cannot quickly fulfill buyers' demands for packages without fast-moving pods, robots and other forms of automation. 19The increased use of robots and AI is changing warehouse work in a way that the head of Amazon Robotics says can "extend human capability." The idea is that robots can help people to do what they are best at: problem solving. 20Tye Brady is Amazon Robotics' chief technologist. He said having people and robots work together permits the company to offer lower prices. Brady said worker safety remains very important. 21But Gutelius, the University of Illinois researcher, said that the hope for easy human-machine operations is not a reality. "It sounds quite lovely, but I rarely hear from a worker's perspective that that's what it feels like," she said. 22Large growth in warehouse robots 23Amazon has more than 200,000 "drives," or robotic vehicles, that move goods through its warehouses around the U.S. That is two times the number it had in 2018. 24Much of the growth in warehouse robotics came in 2012 when Amazon bought Kiva Systems. Afterwards, Kiva Systems became Amazon Robotics. For seven years, the company has been designing and building Amazon's robots. 25Amazon's move to buy Kiva influenced its competitors, said Jim Liefer. He is chief of the San Francisco company, Kindred AI. It makes an AI robotic arm used by companies such as The Gap clothing store. 26Melonee Wise is chief of California-based Fetch Robotics. The company sells robotic carts. She credits Amazon with causing the industry to develop new technologies. 27But she said Amazon's system forces workers to do "un-ergonomic moves" such as reaching up very high or down low. 28"They have robots that live in cages," she said. "Our robots are designed to work safely around people." 29Getting used to working with robots 30Taillon, the Amazon employee you met at the beginning of this report, said that she has gotten used to working with robots. 31She described how she felt when first working with them. 32"When you're out there, and you can hear them moving around, but you can't see them, it's like, 'Where are they going to come from?'," she said. "It's a little nerve-racking at first." 33I'm Jill Robbins. 34And I'm John Russell. 35Matt O'Brien reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 36________________________________________________________________ 37Words in This Story 38repetitive - n. having parts, actions, etc., that are repeated many times in a way that is boring or unpleasant 39pace - n. the speed at which something happens 40morale - n. the feelings of enthusiasm and loyalty that a person or group has about a task or job 41burnout - n. the condition of someone who has become very physically and emotionally tired after doing a difficult job for a long time 42stance - n. a publicly stated opinion - usually singular 43quadruple - v. to become four times bigger in value or number 44automation - n. running or operating (something, such as a factory or system) by using machines, computers, etc., instead of people to do the work 45perspective - n. a way of thinking about and understanding something (such as a particular issue or life in general) 46artificial intelligence - n. the power of a machine to copy intelligent human behavior 47ergonomic - n. the parts or qualities of something's design that make it easy or safe to use 48nerve-racking - adj. causing a person to feel very nervous 49We want to hear from you. 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