CINCINNATI — Artificial intelligence is everywhere we look and now researchers in Ohio want to know if the technology can not only make our jobs easier and safer.

What You Need To Know

  • Researchers at the University of Cincinnati are spearheading research using a human"digital twin" method to improve worker safety 

  • UC was awarded $1.4 million by the Ohio Bureau of Worker's Compensation for the project

  • Researchers said their work is solving present-day problems based on gaps and needs in the industry

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there was a 5.7% increase in fatal work injuries from 2021 to 2022. 

Nearly three out of four businesses have started using AI for at least one business function, according to Forbes. The state of Ohio is no exception.

“An example is a worker working with a robot or a worker who’s working in the presence of autonomous ground vehicles which are widely used now, such as forklifts,” University of Cincinnati Mechanical Engineering Professor Dr. Manish Kumar said.

Dr. Kumar and a team of collaborators and industry partners are spearheading research to develop personal protective technology using a human ‘digital twin’ method, modeling human motion to improve worker safety.  

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation awarded $1.4 million so UC could take a closer look. “Specifically, we are looking at material handling and human-machine interactions,” Dr. Kumar said.  

Professor Dr. Sam Anand is co-principal investigator on the project. He and his students in the Smart Manufacturing Lab are using generative artificial intelligence to predict human motion in manufacturing work spaces. 

“We need to analyze how the worker is bending. We also analyze things like their wrist motion. All of those minor things are being captured through this mobile capture system,” Ph.D. Student Sourabh Deshpande said. 

According to the Ohio BWC, most work-related injuries are the result of things like falls, slips, and trips, contact with objects and equipment, and overexertion. UC’s data will look to pinpoint potential acute and chronic health risks while providing feedback on worker performance. 

“If you do something in the wrong way, it may not cause injuries at the moment, but after six months to a year it could cause serious pain to your body,” Ph.D. Student Dorsa Rezayat said. 

Dr. Anand said their work is solving present-day problems based on gaps and needs in the industry. 

“This will have an impact on the bottom line of industries to make them more productive, cost-effective, and have healthy workers right now,” he said.  

Dr. Kumar said that the research would take about a year to complete. He added that the goal is to develop a proof of concept with collaborating companies and then eventually put a product out on the market.

We’re told the large-scale project involves collaborating with five principal investigators, two industrial collaborators and two industry partners. 

A second project funded by Ohio at UC will develop an improved hard hat to reduce head injuries.