A smarter, safer new industrial robot could bring automation
to new areas of manual work and help many U.S. manufacturers regain a
competitive edge.
About two months ago, a new employee arrived on the
production line at Vanguard Plastics in Southington, Connecticut, a town that
was once a hub of U.S. manufacturing but saw many of its factories disappear in
the 1960s. The small manufacturer's new worker, Baxter, is six feet tall, 300
pounds, and a robot. For a hulking machine, Baxter is remarkably expressive. A
pair of eyes on the screen that serves as a face stare down as the robot picks up
plastic components, look concerned when it makes a mistake, and direct its
glance at its next task when one is finished. It's cute. But the real point of
these expressions is that they let workers nearby know instantly if Baxter is
performing appropriately, and they provide clues to what it is about to do
next. Even more amazing, when Baxter is done with one task, a fellow worker can
simply show the robot how to start another.