Robots are breaking out of their cages on the factory floor, and here's what they are doing

Collaborative robots, or cobots, have been working with humans on the factory floor for years, but when it comes to the large-scale industrial robots that can lift and move massive pieces of manufacturing, the danger to human workers is so great that the robots are bolted down to the factory floor behind fences so a human never comes near them. That is starting to change as robotics becomes more widespread across industries. Today there are, on average, 84 robots for every 10,000 workers in the U.S., according to the International Federation of Robotics. This places the U.S. second to Europe, at 99 units, and ahead of Asia, which to date averages 63 units (though the most roboticized country in the world is South Korea). While these next-generation robots are revolutionizing companies and expanding their bottom line, there is one very real caveat: Their increasing interactivity and mobility opens up the possibility of injury to human co-workers.