Imagine, though, that one day your operators show up for work with the strength to effortlessly pick up an engine block or a box weighing hundreds of pounds-with one hand. Then again, and more to the point for all too many production workers, imagine an operator lifting moderate loads dozens or even hundreds of times without having to worry about feeling sore at the end of the day.
Traditionally, assemblers have had to rely on cumbersome chain pulls or hard-to-fine-tune, "jerky," power winches to manipulate parts and product as they make their way to, from and along an assembly line. However, thanks to advances in sensor technology and electronic controls, today's intelligent material handling devices truly function as an extension of an operator's arms and hands.