Technology is already beginning to alter humans in some pretty amazing ways.

Eight technologies making today's humans more futuristic

Enhanced Humans

Technology is already beginning to alter human beings in some pretty amazing ways. 

Eight Technologies Making Today's Humans More Futuristic

Eight Technologies Making Today’s Humans More Futuristic

<h2>Once More With Feeling</h2>
<p>Researchers from the <a href="http://www.utah.edu/">University of Utah</a> have developed a mind-controlled robotic hand that can simulate 100 unique touch sensations in the user&#8217;s brain. The developers used a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funded arm affectionately referred to as <a href="https://futurism.com/this-star-wars-inspired-prosthetic-arm-will-be-available-by-the-end-of-the-year/">the LUKE</a>, so named after Luke Skywalker&#8217;s prosthetic arm from the <i>Star Wars</i> films.</p>
<p>The updates developed by the Utah group involve implanting a device into the patient&#8217;s residual nerves, along with electrodes implanted in muscles to create a loop of information that is transferred into signals that the brain recognizes as sensations of touch.</p>
<p>According to one of the developers on the project, Jacob George, “People often think of touch as a single sense, but it’s actually sub-divided into other senses, such as pressure, vibration, temperature, pain, etc. The high resolution of our device allows us to activate these sub-classes of touch in isolation (i.e., pressure without vibration or pain) in a specific part of the hand.” This allows for users to regain a sense of embodiment that they may have lost.</p>
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<p>Speaking about a former participant using the system with a computer-generated prosthetic, George said, “It’s not that he felt the sensation on his missing hand; it’s that he felt the door and it’s suddenly him interacting with the environment around him in the first time in 24 years.”</p>
<h2>Prosthetics and the Bionic Future</h2>
<p>The process for preparing the arm for use is arduous at the moment. The team has to map each of the 192 electrodes with each participant&#8217;s nervous system so each sensation corresponds with a real stimulus. That is, if pressure is applied to a specific area, like the tip of the thumb, the participant feels that pressure in the thumb of the prosthetic, instead of another area. Once this is completed, the user would be able to control the hand as if it were their own.</p>
<p>The Utah team has tested their new interface with seven participants so far. They are emboldened by the results thus far but are keen on creating a wireless version of the technology within the next year. Functionality is also expected to improve as patients have the opportunity to practice with the interface.</p>
<p><a href="https://futurism.com/six-of-todays-most-advanced-real-life-cyborgs/">Human augmentation</a> is rapidly innovating to bring functionality back to disabled. Of course, these innovations are not occurring only in the form of enhanced arm prosthetics.<figure style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/bionics-the-astonishing-future-of-the-human-body/"><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2015/12/bionic_home.png" alt="Bionics: The Astonishing Future of the Human Body" ></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text center"><strong><a href="https://futurism.com/images/bionics-the-astonishing-future-of-the-human-body/" target="_blank">Click to View Full Infographic</a></figcaption></strong></figure></p>
<p>Mind-controlled prosthetic legs are also being developed to allow people who have lost their lower limbs to live lives more like they did prior to their ordeal. For example, a <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2012/11/5/3602254/zac-fawter-bionic-leg-chicago-willis-tower">31-year-old amputee</a> was able to climb the 103-story Willis Tower with the help of a bionic limb equipped with Targeted Muscle Reinnervation (TMR) technology.</p>
<p>Other technologies are helping people regain non-motor functions like vision. Filmmaker Rob Spence replaced his damaged eye with a custom designed camera, making him one of the world&#8217;s first cyborgs, or &#8220;Eyeborg,&#8221; as he calls himself.</p>
<p>Further innovation in the way our brains interact with machines will continue to allow these kind of augmentations to bring greater functionality back to those who have lost some. Even more, the ability to fine-tune this interaction will also lead to a world where even regular humans are able to enhance their abilities with augmentation.</p>


"People often think of touch as a single sense, but it's actually sub-divided into other senses."

New thought-controlled prosthetics restore the sensation of touch

University of Utah researchers have developed mind-controlled robotic hand prosthetics that can simulate 100 unique touch sensations in the user's brain.

New Thought-Controlled Prosthetics Restore the Sensation of Touch

The arm can help users regain a lost sense of embodiment.

<h2>Experimental Hardware</h2>
<p>Palmer Luckey, the co-founder of <span class="wp-glossary wpg-tooltip" data-termid="58748" data-content="full" data-qtipstyle="dark">virtual reality (VR)</span> company <a href="https://www.oculus.com/" target="_blank">Oculus</a>, is exploring the use of nerve-stimulating implants to facilitate more immersive VR experiences.</p>
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<p>Speaking on adult VR content at a recent event, <a href="https://uploadvr.com/palmer-luckey-experimenting-nerves/" target="_blank">Luckey stated</a>, &#8220;This is one of the things I&#8217;m experimenting with&#8230;virtual reality implants that are able to do stimulation into the nervous system to provide a sense of touch and to allow you to move around in virtual reality without actually moving.&#8221;</p>
<p>Earlier this year, Luckey alluded to his work in this area <a href="https://twitter.com/PalmerLuckey/status/875494573367214080" target="_blank">on Twitter</a>, venting his frustrations with finding medical professionals willing to implant experimental devices, noting that doing so was &#8220;really, really hard.&#8221;</p>
<h2>Virtual Augmentation</h2>
<p>Luckey isn&#8217;t the only innovator looking for ways to make VR experiences more immersive. We&#8217;ve seen <a href="https://futurism.com/videos/a-motion-simulator-is-making-vr-feel-real/">elaborate setups</a> to enhance mobility, along with peripherals to mimic environmental conditions such as <a href="https://futurism.com/now-you-can-feel-wind-and-temperature-while-in-virtual-reality/">wind and temperature</a>. Some have even attempted to <a href="https://futurism.com/videos/now-you-can-taste-and-chew-in-virtual-reality/" target="_blank">bring taste into the virtual world</a>.</p>
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<p>Luckey&#8217;s implants would completely change how VR systems interact with our bodies, delivering an entirely new level of immersion, but plans to bring brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) to fruition are even more ambitious. <a href="https://futurism.com/elon-musk-just-outlined-how-hell-merge-the-human-brain-and-ai/">Elon Musk&#8217;s</a> Neuralink and <a href="https://futurism.com/new-startup-to-solve-memory-loss-with-brain-prosthetics/">Bryan Johnson&#8217;s</a> Kernel are two high-profile examples of brain computer interfaces that would give humans a type of superintelligence previously only seen in the realm of science fiction.</p>
<p>The research on these devices is in its infancy, so their full potential is still unknown. However, several <a href="https://futurism.com/dawn-of-cybernetics-start-up-seeks-to-introduce-modular-exoskeletons/">immediate applications</a> have already emerged, including the ability to help disabled persons gain greater mobility or augment the strength of laborers, allowing individuals to do more work in less time.</p>
<p>From healthcare to space exploration, implants could radically transform how humans navigate nearly every industry — a better experience in virtual reality is just the tip of the iceberg.</p>
<p><em>Disclosure: Bryan Johnson is an investor in Futurism; he does not hold a seat on our editorial board or have any editorial review privileges.</em></p>


Developing these cutting-edge devices is no easy task.

Nerve-stimulating implants may be the next level in virtual reality

Virtuality

Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey has recently expressed his desire to develop nerve-stimulating implants to make virtual reality experiences more immersive.

Nerve-Stimulating Implants May Be the Next Level in Virtual Reality

They could be a precursor to brain computer interfaces.

<h2>Meet the Eyeborg</h2>
<p>While smartphone technology has already made many of us cyborg adjacent, there are some who are truly pioneering the world of the future. Take filmmaker <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/rob-spence-eyeborg-video-camera-eye-socket-toronto-filmmaker">Rob Spence</a> of Toronto, for example. He lost his eye due to an unfortunate mishap involving his nine-year-old self, a pile of cow dung, and a shotgun. The gun kicked back after he fired it and severely damaged his eye.</p>
<p>While he did not lose all sight in the eye, he was declared legally blind. Years later, the eye began to physically deteriorate, prompting doctors to replace the eye. Instead of going for the traditional glass eye, Spence worked with a friend to build an eye camera. Spence&#8217;s eye can record up to 30 minutes of footage before the battery dies. The eye is not connected to the optic nerve so he cannot use it to see.</p>
<p>In preparation for the release of the video game sequel <i>Deus Ex: Human Evolution, </i>game developer Square Enix recruited the filmmaker to make a documentary of Spence interviewing other recipients of high-tech augmentation. He even included some of the eye camera footage in the doc.</p>
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<h2>The Age of Enhancement</h2>
<p>While the word &#8220;cyborg&#8221; is still more closely aligned with science-fiction, more and more people are augmenting their bodies with technology. Many of these augmentations correct limitations, like this <a href="https://futurism.com/this-star-wars-inspired-prosthetic-arm-will-be-available-by-the-end-of-the-year/">Star Wars inspired</a> prosthetic arm, or these exoskeletons designed to give <a href="https://futurism.com/paralyzed-man-uses-exoskeleton-to-run-race-for-policy-change/">paralyzed people</a> improved functionality. However, the next wave of available augmentations could focus on enhancing human capabilities, both physically and cognitively, beyond what is biologically possible. Tech wizards like Elon Musk and Bryan Johnson are working on systems that would <a href="https://futurism.com/elon-musks-neural-lace-could-use-brain-stimulating-tech-to-make-us-smarter/">integrate the human brain</a> with computers, making the subject smarter.</p>
<p>However, each new capability could bring along specialized ethical concerns. For example, Elon Musk&#8217;s neural lace isn&#8217;t likely going to be cheap. Could giving those who can afford to purchase this technology access to higher levels of cognitive ability only lead to a massive widening of societal gaps? This and other <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602342/the-ethics-of-human-enhancement/">ethical conundrums </a>must be carefully considered as we quickly approach this Age of Enhancement.</p>


A filmmaker from Toronto replaced his deteriorating eye with a custom designed camera that can record what he is looking at. This "Eyeborg" is just the beginning of human augmentation.

Meet the Eyeborg: The Filmmaker With a Video Camera In His Right Eye Socket

This "Eyeborg" is just the beginning of human augmentation.

<h2>Maximizing Mobility</h2>
<p>In 1905, an Ohio farmer survived a railroad accident that cost him both of his legs. Two years later, he founded the Ohio Willow Wood company, using the namesake timber to hand-carve prosthetic limbs. The company grew, surviving the Great Depression and a fire that destroyed the plant, and still thrives today in rural Ohio. Few who work there now might remember the <a href="https://www.willowwoodco.com/about-willowwood/our-history/">curious footnote in the company’s history</a> that occurred during World War II, when the rebuilt factory was diversified to build parts for PT boats and B-17 bombers.</p>
<p>Today, it is ironic to consider a company that specializes in prosthetic limbs building parts for the war machine that unfortunately increases demand on companies making prosthetic limbs. Indeed, the tragedy of war has pushed prosthetics researchers to work ever harder to help service members and veterans who have lost limbs.</p>
<p>Not only are soldiers <a href="https://health.mil/News/Articles/2017/03/28/2016-marks-first-year-of-zero-combat-amputations-since-the-start-of-the-Afghan-Iraq-wars">losing limbs from IEDs</a>; older veterans are losing limbs <a href="http://DX.DOI.ORG/10.1682/JRRD.2013.11.0249">from diabetes</a> and <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2017.01.008">vascular disease</a>. Mobility is key to long-term health, and prosthetic limbs are key to mobility.</p>
<p>That has made the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs a key player in <a href="https://www.prosthetics.va.gov/">prosthetics development</a> and technological innovation. But what is created for service members and veterans has benefits far beyond them, helping <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2007.11.005">nearly two million Americans</a> – civilian children, elderly people and young adults with amputations – maximize their mobility.</p>
<h2>A Key Funding Source</h2>
<p>As a biomedical engineer specializing in prosthetics, I’ve reviewed grant proposals seeking funding from the VA to research prosthetic limbs for several years.</p>
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<p><figure style="width: 237px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/170196/area14mp/file-20170519-12226-1gyffop.jpg"><img src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/170196/width237/file-20170519-12226-1gyffop.jpg" alt="" width="237" height="356" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Carbon-fiber leg and foot prostheses revolutionized mobility for lower-limb amputees. US Army/Tim Hipps</figcaption></figure><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
<p>The federal government has long played a vital role in advancing prosthetic technologies. Before the 1980s, prosthetic feet were adequate for standing and walking, but very limited for more intense activities involving running and jumping. <a href="http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/">Veterans Administration Rehabilitation Research and Development</a> funds were used to develop the <a href="http://prosthetics.umwblogs.org/the-seattle-foot/">Seattle Foot</a>. That device and its carbon-fiber contemporaries paved the way for “blade”-style prostheses seen in the Paralympics.</p>
<p>Decades later, defense-related government spending continues to drive innovation in prosthetics. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has gained attention with the “<a href="https://www.thrillist.com/health/nation/luke-skywalker-bionic-arm-darpa">Luke Arm</a>,” named after a certain fictitious Mr. Skywalker, and headlines that read like they’re actually from Star Wars: “<a href="http://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2016-10-13">DARPA Helps Paralyzed Man Feel Again Using a Brain-Controlled Robotic Arm</a>.”</p>
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<p><figure style="width: 237px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/170198/area14mp/file-20170519-12242-q5nqe1.JPG"><img src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/170198/width237/file-20170519-12242-q5nqe1.JPG" alt="" width="237" height="158" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The ‘Luke arm.’ U.S. Department of Defense</figcaption></figure><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
<p>For prosthetics researchers, funding from traditional sources such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation has become remarkably difficult to obtain, at least in part because of competition. Consequently, many researchers have turned their attention to soldiers and veterans. In 2014-2015, the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program <a href="http://cdmrp.army.mil/about/fundinghistory">funded 18 proposals in Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes</a>. But that funding is getting more competitive too: 98 proposals were rejected.</p>
<h2>Connecting With the Body</h2>
<p>All this work is, generally speaking, focused on transforming a prosthesis from an external tool used by a person to an integrated replacement that becomes a part of a person. Much of the research involves taking small steps toward reproducing the grand complexity and robust design of human anatomy. We have not yet achieved the flashy and functional capability of a real-life Luke Skywalker with cranial nerves attached directly to motors in a robotic hand. But researchers have made important progress through intermediate steps.</p>
<p>A process called <a href="https://www.sralab.org/targeted-muscle-reinnervation">targeted muscle reinnervation</a> can connect nerves carrying messages from the brain, like “close hand,” to a muscle over which a set of electrodes are placed. Those electrodes in turn send the signal to the motorized hand to close. Sensory feedback is being developed in a similar manner. While these efforts are not yet ready for everyday community use, they represent crucial progress.</p>
<p>Consider also a <a href="http://cdmrp.army.mil/oporp/research_highlights/15hargrove_highlight">CDMRP-funded project</a> at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and Vanderbilt University. The lower-limb prostheses used are not just passive spring-like materials: They’re active, motorized joints. Motors require careful control, and the project headed by neuroengineering specialist <a href="https://www.sralab.org/researchers/levi-hargrove-phd">Levi Hargrove</a> has attempted to <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.4527">learn from the amputee’s muscles</a> when she wants to transition from walking to, say, walking up stairs or down a ramp. Just like your phone’s voice recognition better understands your voice over time, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.4527">Hargrove’s control algorithm</a> allows the motorized prosthesis to make fewer errors in ambulation.</p>
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<p><figure style="width: 754px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/170193/area14mp/file-20170519-12217-1b9aes2.jpg"><img src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/170193/width754/file-20170519-12217-1b9aes2.jpg" alt="" width="754" height="502" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A child with a prosthetic leg kicks a ball. Mark Geil, CC BY-ND</figcaption></figure><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
<p>Clearly, projects like Hargrove’s stand to benefit much broader populations than just soldiers and veterans. My own research focuses on children with limb loss, and I see so-called “civilian spinoffs” every day. In our Center for Pediatric Locomotion Sciences at Georgia State University, we’re <a href="http://locomotion.education.gsu.edu/">modeling the material and structural properties of pediatric prosthetic feet</a>. Many of those components can be traced back to that original VA-funded Seattle Foot. Across town at the Shepherd Center, a renowned hospital specializing in brain and spinal cord injury, <a href="https://www.shepherd.org/research/spinal-cord-injury/current">robotic exoskeletons help paralyzed individuals</a> move their limbs and remap neural pathways, a project with connections to VA prosthetic research.</p>
<p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/76891/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />Though they won’t get the public recognition of the Jeep or GPS, these civilian spinoffs from military-funded research in prosthetics will have long-term benefits for people of all ages, and they’ll feel the results every day.</p>
<hr />
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mark-geil-368165">Mark Geil</a>, Professor of Kinesiology and Health, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/georgia-state-university-957">Georgia State University</a></em></p>
<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/military-funded-prosthetic-technologies-benefit-more-than-just-veterans-76891">original article</a>.</p>
<p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/76891/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p>


Wounded Warrior Scuba Healing

The military funds some very important programs to research innovation in the field of prosthetics.

Military Funding For Prosthetics Helps More Than Just Soldiers

These programs maximize mobility for all citizens.

<h2>Industrial Revolution 4.0</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.rolandberger.com/publications/publication_pdf/roland_berger_industry_40_20160609.pdf">Fourth Industrial Revolution</a> has arrived. The first was the steam engine-driven Industrial Revolution; the second involved the innovations from Henry Ford’s assembly line. Third, microelectronics and computer power appeared on factory floors. Now, manufacturing businesses are beginning to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312069858_Industrie_40_and_Smart_Manufacturing_-_A_Review_of_Research_Issues_and_Application_Examples">integrate robotics, automation and other data-driven technologies</a> into their workflows. <img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/74117/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p>
<p>Robots have taken over <a href="http://www.webdesignschoolsguide.com/library/10-things-we-couldnt-do-without-robots.html">difficult, dangerous and repetitive physical tasks</a>, improving factory safety, worker comfort and product quality. The next phase of labor innovation will do the same thing for cognitive work, removing mentally stressful and repetitive tasks from people’s daily routines.</p>
<p>Human work will become more versatile and creative. Robots and people will work more closely together than ever before. <a href="https://humans-machines-progress.com/reportage/work-4-0-humans-at-its-heart/">People will use their unique abilities</a> to innovate, collaborate and adapt to new situations. They will handle challenging tasks with knowledge-based reasoning. Machines enabled by the technologies that are now becoming commonplace – virtual assistants like <a href="https://www.apple.com/ios/siri/">Siri</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_10?_encoding=UTF8&amp;node=16067214011&amp;pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-leftnav&amp;pf_rd_r=2RKBP0D6YK40CPK201WF&amp;pf_rd_r=2RKBP0D6YK40CPK201WF&amp;pf_rd_t=101&amp;pf_rd_p=a26577b0-449b-401f-a482-44c5e9674e47&amp;pf_rd_p=a26577b0-449b-401f-a482-44c5e9674e47&amp;pf_rd_i=9818047011">Alexa</a>, wearable sensors like <a href="https://www.fitbit.com/home">FitBits</a> and smart-watches – will take care of tedious work details.</p>
<p>People will still be essential on the factory floors, even as robots become more common. Future operators will have technical support and be super-strong, super-informed, super-safe and constantly connected.</p>
<p>We call this new generation of tech-augmented human workers, both on factory floors and in offices, “<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/project/The-Operator-40-Towards-Socially-Sustainable-Factories-of-the-Future">Operator 4.0</a>.” There are several types of enhancements available, which can be used individually or in combination to put humans at the heart of this technological revolution.</p>
<figure style="width: 754px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/05/image-20170418-32713-d4i79m.jpg" alt="Introducing ‘Operator 4.0,’ a tech-augmented human worker" width="754" height="573" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">This Hyundai wearable robot can help a human worker lift very heavy items. Image credit: Hyundai</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Super Strong</h2>
<p>One straightforward enhancement would let workers wear robotic exoskeletons to enhance their strength. A “super-strength operator” could let a human truly control the physical power of a large robot. In today’s warehouses and construction sites, workers risk injury and exhaustion by handling heavy objects themselves. Or they are forced to compromise, using a more powerful tool with less adaptability, like a forklift.</p>
<p>The benefits go well beyond the workplace. Of course, a worker in a powered robotic suit could easily handle extremely heavy objects without losing the flexibility of natural human movements. The worker would also be far less likely to suffer severe injuries from accidents or overwork. And at the end of a day, a super-strength worker could take off the exoskeleton and still have energy to play with the kids or spend time with friends.</p>
<h2>Super Informed</h2>
<p>Fighter pilots use heads-up displays, which provide them with crucial information right on the cockpit windshield and directly in their line of sight. This is “augmented reality,” because it displays information within a live view of the world. It used to be very specialized and expensive technology. Now, <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-hololens/en-us">Microsoft’s HoloLens</a> makes it available for consumers.</p>
<p>An “augmented operator” can get directions or assistance without interrupting the task he or she is working on. Often, when new equipment or processes are developed, trainers need to travel long distances to factories, staying for weeks to teach workers what to do. Designers do the same, getting feedback for refinements and improvements. All that travel takes up a huge amount of time and is extremely expensive. With augmented reality available, it is often unnecessary.</p>
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<figure><figcaption><span class="caption">Augmented reality on the job.</span></figcaption></figure>
<p>A worker <a href="http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/consumer-electronics/gadgets/ces-2015-industrial-augmented-reality-takes-center-stage">wearing a set of smart glasses</a> can receive individualized, step-by-step instructions displayed right in front of his or her eyes, no matter where he or she is looking. With earbuds and a microphone, she or he could talk directly to trainers in real time.</p>
<h2>Super Safe</h2>
<p>Many manufacturing environments are hazardous, involving heavy equipment, caustic chemicals and other dangers that can maim and kill human workers. A “healthy operator” may be equipped with wearable sensors tracking pulse rate, body temperature, chemical exposure or other factors that indicate risks of injury.</p>
<p>This type of system is already available: Truck drivers can wear the <a href="http://mavenmachines.com/co-pilot/">Maven Co-Pilot</a>, a hands-free headset that detects fatigue symptoms, like head-bobbing movements. It can also ensure drivers check their rear-view mirrors regularly to stay aware of nearby traffic. It can even provide reminders to take scheduled breaks. This helps keep the truck’s driver safe and improves everyone else’s road safety.</p>
<h2>And Beyond…</h2>
<p>Possibilities are limitless. An “analytical operator” would wear a monitor showing real-time data and analytics, such as information on chemicals in a sewage treatment plant or pollutants at an incinerator. A “collaborative operator” may be linked to collaborative robots, or co-bots, like the assembly assistant <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AitCwCF5VM">YuMi</a>. A “smarter operator” could be equipped with an intelligent virtual personal assistant, like an advanced Siri or Alexa.</p>
<p>There does not have to be conflict between robots and humans, with machines taking people’s jobs and leaving them unemployed. <a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_White_Paper_Technology_Innovation_Future_of_Production_2017.pdf">Technology should be designed with collaboration in mind</a>. That way, companies and workers alike will be able to capitalize on the respective strengths of both human and machine. What’s more, the inherent flexibility of “Operator 4.0” workers will also help to ensure workplaces of the future that can change and adapt. That means getting ever more efficient and safer, as new technologies emerge.</p>
<hr />
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/thorsten-wuest-344214">Thorsten Wuest</a>, Assistant Professor &amp; J. Wayne and Kathy Richards Faculty Fellow in Engineering, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/west-virginia-university-1375">West Virginia University</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-romero-344218">David Romero</a>, Professor of Advanced Manufacturing, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/instituto-tecnologico-y-de-estudios-superiores-de-monterrey-2087">Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey</a></em>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/johan-stahre-344222">Johan Stahre</a>, Professor of Production Systems, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/chalmers-university-of-technology-815">Chalmers University of Technology</a></em></p>
<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/introducing-operator-4-0-a-tech-augmented-human-worker-74117">original article</a>.</p>
<p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/74117/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p>


There could be some great benefits to humans who perform dangerous or labor intensive tasks that could possibly be mitigated with the help of technology.

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