When my sister and I were kids, we dared not let our parents catch us doing nothing. “If you need something to do,” my mother would say, “I’ll give you something.” Nine times out of 10, that something would be an onerous chore. My parents were big believers in the adage, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop. A couple of articles in the news recently made me think about that adage in a grim new light.

The most daunting challenge of automating assembly of very small products, such as hearing aids, is how to feed and manipulate tiny screws and other parts. Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark in Lyngby have designed a gripper and an automatic screwdriver that overcome this challenge.

Robots can bring the same flexibility, efficiency, accuracy and tirelessness to test and inspection applications as they can to more traditional tasks.

An operator uses a handheld laser gauging system to measure gaps on an automotive instrument panel assembly. The system includes both the laser sensor and the controller. The standoffs ensure

It wasn’t all that long ago that people with intellectual disabilities were institutionalized-isolated from their families and communities. These days, thankfully, attitudes are much different. A number of organizations are providing win-win situations: enabling people with intellectual disabilities to obtain training and fulfilling employment, while helping manufacturers assemble their products for pennies on the dollar.