The MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future, a multi-disciplinary initiative examining how emerging technologies are changing the nature of work, is releasing three research briefs today focused on manufacturing. The briefs examine the adoption of new technologies by U.S. manufacturers as well as the development of new transformative manufacturing technologies: additive manufacturing (AM) and industrial robotics. The authors explore several key questions including: What are the current motivations and barriers to adoption of new technologies by manufacturers, particularly small and medium-size firms, and how are skill requirements changing if at all for workers? What are the challenges and opportunities for the role of industrial robots in manufacturing? What is the value of AM and how do we build AM skills and capabilities within and across organizations? These briefs provide an in-depth perspective on some of the themes covered in the Task Force’s recently released final report, the culmination of a two-year research initiative.
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The three research briefs released today include:
Manufacturing in America: A View from the Field
Author: Suzanne Berger, John M. Deutch Institute Professor, Department of Political Science and Member, MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future
The brief highlights findings from two years of research visiting factory floors across the U.S. Professor Berger and her team explored why, when and how firms acquire new technology and the implications for workers and skills. Having found relatively few new robots among small and medium-size firms, Berger puts forth policy recommendations that could help these companies acquire new technologies to increase their productivity and create good jobs.
Additive Manufacturing: Implications for Technological Change, Workforce Development, and the Product Lifecycle
Authors: Haden Quinlan, Program Manager, MIT Center for Additive and Digital Advanced Production Technologies. John Hart, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Director of the MIT Center for Additive and Digital Advanced Production Technologies and Member, MIT Task Force Work of the Future
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