MARION, Ohio—A new worker is charming the staff at Whirlpool Corp.’s plant here: a robot called Chappy. Employees at the dryer factory say they have taken a shine to one-armed, programmable robots that have assumed some repetitive tasks, working in concert with their human colleagues. One, nicknamed after a worker whose rote duties it has inherited, snaps photographs to scan for defects. “If...
One armed , programmable robots are being used in tandem with human workers at manufacturers including Whirlpool , GM and Boeing , taking over repetitive tasks . Production companies are more frequently using “ collaborative robots ” , robots that are aware enough of their surroundings to detect if robots bump into them . Economists are concerned that the entire factory industry will shift jobs to automation . However , manufacturers say that the use of robots will improve safety , increase efficiency and could lead to the relocation of robots back to the factory .