Released “European Charter For Robots And Humans”
The European charter for robots and humans working together has been officially released by the European Engineering Industries Association (EUnited). The document defines 10 focus areas to shape the future of work. The charter supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030.
“The transition to an increasingly automated and data driven economy requires changes in work arrangements that need to be adjusted by employers, their workers and government,” says Nobel Prize laureate, Sir Christopher Pissarides, Co-Chair at the Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW). “Industry can help by ensuring that their workers are equipped with the skills and knowledge to thrive in the new economy.”
Focus area one puts the human in the centre: The charter wants robots to relieve workers of the dull and low-interaction work that is not well suited for human nature – employees should work like humans and not like machines. Focus area two makes it clear that robots must assist humans, not the other way around. Therefore, the European robotics industry advocates a “human-in-command approach”. The other focus areas deal with skills development, human-robot collaboration, the ease of machine use, initiatives especially for young people and strategies tackling demographic change.
“2.7 million industrial robots in use worldwide and the increasing use of service robots outside factories rapidly change the way we work,” says EUnited Robotics Chairman, Wilfried Eberhardt. “To actively manage this transition, the European robotics industry has developed the ´Good Work Charter´ and identified 10 focus areas that we need to address now. It is essential to understand that humans will always play a central role in the workplace.”
