EuroWire March 2020

Transatlantic cable

“If you look at human skin, how we sense heat or pressure, our neural cells transmit information through ions,” said Mr Liu. “It’s really not so different from our artificial skin.” Tests with AISkin are demonstrating its resilience, as well as its stretchability. “Human skin can stretch about 50 per cent, but our AISkin can stretch up to 400 per cent of its length without breaking,” said project leader Binbin Ying, a visiting PhD candidate from McGill University. Anticipated uses for AISkin include a skin-like monitor to measure the progress of muscle rehabilitation. “If you were to put this material on a glove of a patient rehabilitating their hand, for example, the health care workers would be able to monitor their finger-bending movements,” suggested Mr Liu, adding, “It could work for athletes looking to measure the rigour of their training, or it could be a wearable [adhesive] touchpad” for gamers. Another application is in soft robotics – flexible robots made from polymers – such as soft robotic grippers used to handle delicate products in factories. The researchers envision AISkin integrated onto soft robots to measure temperature or pressure data. In 2020 Mr Liu’s laboratory will be looking to shrink the size of AISkin sensors through micro-fabrication, and to add bio-sensing capabilities to the material, allowing it to measure biomolecules in body fluids such as perspiration. Mr Liu believes that further research could offer “something we put on like a ‘smart bandage’. Wound healing requires breathability [and] moisture balance: ionic skin feels like the natural next step.” Rise – and fall – of the robots The latest World Robotics report from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) showed a new record of around 300,000 operational industrial robots in the Republic of Korea in 2018, representing a doubling of industrial robots in the country over five years. South Korea ranked third in the robotics “league table”, behind Japan and China, but the drive for robot installations has decreased and, for 2019, a continued decrease is expected. “Robot installations declined by 5 per cent to 37,807 units in 2018,” said Junji Tsuda, president of the IFR. “Both the electrical/ electronics industry and the automotive industry reduced installations – together they account for 82 per cent of total demand.” South Korea has been affected by the USA-China trade dispute, but there are positive and negative effects: China is an important export market for Korea’s intermediate products; the conflict could result in decreasing demand from China. On the other hand, Korean products could offer substitutes for Chinese products. In the meantime, economic uncertainty for the country, declining demand for electronic products, and a reduction in investment by major electronics companies are all indicating a further year of decreasing robot installations. However, the use of robots is believed to be vital in order to maintain competitiveness, and Korea’s is an ageing population. By the middle of the 21 st century, South Korea will have one of the oldest populations of all OECD countries, just behind Japan, Italy and Greece. In 2050 more than one third of the population will be over the age of 65, and around half of all workers will be aged 50 and over.

The demographic helps explain why South Korea has been an enthusiastic early adopter of robotics technology, and why robot density within South Korea’s manufacturing sector is second only to Singapore. Looking to the future With 774 industrial robots per 10,000 employees, the Republic of Korea has over twice the number of Germany (in third place with 338 units) and Japan (fourth with 327 units). Korea’s Workforce Development and Training Act is one of a range of government-driven programmes offering skills development in handling robots and automated machines. The government’s Smart Manufacturing Innovation Strategy is working towards 50,000 “smart factory” workers by 2022, and the five-year Third Robot Basic Plan will support training for 2,200 workers for small and medium-sized enterprises by 2023. The controversial true cost of lithium? Technology companies including Apple, Alphabet (Google), Dell, Microsoft and Tesla are named in a lawsuit seeking damages for the deaths and injuries of child cobalt miners in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The DRC currently produces around 60 per cent of the world’s cobalt supply. Cobalt is in high demand for the production of lithium-ion batteries for electric cars, laptops and smartphones, but the extraction process is plagued with concerns and accusations linked to illegal mining, human rights abuses and corruption. The action, filed in the USA by International Rights Advocates (IRAdvocates) on behalf of Congolese families, accuses the companies of knowing that cobalt used in their products could be linked to child labour. The plaintiffs are seeking relief based on common law claims of unjust enrichment, negligent supervision, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The lawsuit argues the companies had “specific knowledge” that the cobalt sourced for their products could be linked to the abuses, and that the manufacturers failed to regulate their supply chains. Two mining companies are also listed in the lawsuit: Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt and Glencore own the minefields where the Congolese children were allegedly employed. In a statement to the UK’s Daily Telegraph , Glencore said that it “does not purchase, process or trade any artisanally [small-scale, independently] mined ore,” nor does it “tolerate any form of child, forced, or compulsory labour.” In response to the Telegraph , Microsoft said it is committed to responsible sourcing of minerals and that it investigates any alleged violations by suppliers and takes appropriate action. Plaintiffs have evidence that these companies, in particular, aided and abetted the mines that abused, and profited from forcing plaintiffs’ and other children to mine cobalt under conditions that led to their deaths or serious, crippling injuries. The plaintiffs’ research team continues to investigate other technology companies and car manufacturers, and expects to add additional companies to the lawsuit. A statement from IRAdvocates asserts it is documented that the young children mining the defendants’ cobalt are not merely being forced to work full-time, but at extremely dangerous jobs at the expense of their education and futures. Energy storage

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March 2020