The University of Cincinnati is working closely with Ohio's Bureau of Workers' Compensation to use digital technology to make workplaces safer.
UC College of Engineering and Applied Science professors Manish Kumar and Sam Anand are developing tools that employers can use to prevent worker injuries from accidents, repetitive stress and other common causes.
In a demonstration at UC's Digital Futures, they provided proof of concept using cameras to create a live, virtual representation of a worker in their actual workspace such as a warehouse or factory floor that can provide real-time feedback to workers about everything from potentially risky motions such as straining to reach something to immediate warnings that can avoid a disastrous collision with moving equipment.
Researchers in UC's Industry 4.0/5.0 Institute are partnering with industrial collaborators such as Siemens, Innovative Numerics, Worthington Steel and thyssenkrupp Bilstein, which makes high-performance shock absorbers and suspension systems. The research team's proof of concept demonstration attracted interest from dozens of other companies.
"We could not have pulled a better team from UC to do this project," Kumar said.
College of Engineering and Applied Science Professor Sam Anand explains his system to business leaders at UC's Digital Futures. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
Ohio recorded 76,800 nonfatal workplace injuries in 2023. More than half of them were considered severe, involving days away from work, job transfers or work restrictions while they recuperated.
The project uses cameras to capture the movements of workers in real time. The system is so advanced that it can send real-time warnings to an employee's smartwatch alerting them about proximate dangers such an approaching forklift behind them or around a corner or even reminders that they might be stressing certain parts of their bodies through repetitive motions.
The system also compiles data summarizing the worker's movements and activities over the course of a day.
UC student Vinayaka Athreya Dokka demonstrates how UC's digital twin system captures all the movements of people to prevent worker injuries and warn about collisions or potential repetitive stress injuries. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
The system is free of bulky sensors that might interfere with a worker's freedom of movement.
"We were using wearable sensors, but people didn't like them. They were cumbersome," Kumar said.
A UC engineering student demonstrated the concept, standing on the floor of the two-story high bay lab at Digital Futures surrounded by tables and boxes. This lab is where UC engineers test drones and other equipment.
An audience of business representatives watched from windows on the second story as the student mimicked tasks such as repeatedly reaching up or down for things in front of him. On smart TV screens mounted in the audience above, a green stick-figure computer rendering matched the student worker's movements and posture precisely in real time down to every elbow, knee, wrist and back bend.
For another demonstration a wheeled box standing in as a forklift approached the student worker from behind and his smartwatch sounded an alarm to warn him of the proximate danger.
UC researchers gave a demonstration of their digital twin project in the high bay lab at Digital Futures where engineering students test drones and other equipment. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
"In the last 10 years we have gotten a boost from artificial intelligence and deep networks. We can now use motion-action models and MotionGPT to create digital twins," Kumar said.
Project partner and UC Professor Kelly Cohen and his aerospace engineering students have been ensuring that the AI deployed in the system works as expected and can be trusted by its users.
"We have to make sure that AI doesn't hallucinate and introduce new risks," Cohen said.
Anand said the data collected by the camera could inform workers about the dangers of repetitive motion injuries, which account for about one-third of workplace injuries nationwide.
The system can generate a daily ergonomic assessment that scores workers on their collective risks of injuries based on their posture and motions.
"The main point is ergonomic analysis. Real-time data can be sent to smartwatches in a way that workers can understand. You can train workers to avoid ergonomic deficits that can lead to injuries," Anand said.
Having demonstrated that their real-time digital twin system works effectively, researchers are developing practical applications. The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation awarded a follow-up grant to support the development of a functional prototype.
"We're just scratching the surface for potential applications," Kumar said. "There is a huge burden on us for responsible use. We want to be the guardian of the good."
Featured image at top: A screen illustrates how UC's system uses cameras to identify potential collision risks to workers in real time. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
UC student Deepak David helps to explain details of the digital twin safety system. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
UC student Dorsa Rezayat demonstrates how urgent warnings or daily ergonomic summaries can be sent to a smartphone. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Professor Manish Kumar is studying ways to improve worker safety using technology. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
