Introducing Arantxa Renteria, a robotics expert and leader of the TECNALIA team within HumanTech. With a passion for improving human-robot collaboration, Arantxa aims to transform construction workplaces, ensuring workers’ health and safety.
As part of TECNALIA, an organisation focused on generating impact through technology, Arantxa and her team are developing innovative solutions such as exoskeletons and teleoperated robots to support workers and create safer and greener construction environments.
Q: Tell us, Arantxa, what do you do for a living, and what is TECNALIA’s focus?
A: I have been working in robotics from the beginning of my career. Firstly, with projects related to the automation of industrial processes. Now, I am more involved with issues regarding the interaction between humans and robots, considering not only process-related parameters but also consequences on the ethical and social sides.
In TECNALIA, we help companies to be more competitive and generate wealth and employment. We develop customised research, development (R&D) and innovation projects with a single aim: to generate impact on businesses through technology.
Q: And what is your role at HumanTech?
A: I manage the TECNALIA team, professionals working on exoskeletons, robotic teleoperation and learning robots, and methodologies to analyse human factors. They are very different technologies, but we aim to integrate them to achieve a valuable solution for workers in construction environments.
Q: Sounds very exciting! We look forward to learning more about the technological advances we are working on. In particular, what is the positive impact you hope to create through HumanTech?
A: We are concerned about developing healthy environments that preserve and improve people’s health and quality of life. That is why we are focusing our technological activity on transforming workplaces in the construction sector.
“We are concerned about developing healthy environments that preserve and improve people’s health and quality of life. That’s why we focus our technological activity on transforming workplaces in construction.”
Q: That’s right. Improving construction workers’ health and safety conditions is critical and urgent, and we hope to contribute to it from HumanTech. What milestones do you hope to achieve?
A: Our team aims to develop robotic devices (exoskeleton and teleoperated robot), able to support workers (exo) and operate autonomously and safely (robot) in highly unstructured environments, collaborating with humans in a non-intrusive way.
“We aim to develop robotic devices (exoskeleton and teleoperated robot), able to support workers (exo) and operate autonomously and safely (robot) in highly unstructured environments, collaborating with humans in a non-intrusive way.”
Q: Amazing! Beyond HumanTech, what’s your opinion on the sustainability challenge in construction?
A: Current construction and material consumption patterns are unsustainable to maintain economic prosperity and the well-being of future generations. Therefore, a paradigm shift in production/construction systems and societal consumption patterns is needed. For this, it is key to introduce circularity into construction systems, optimising the use of raw materials, materials, products/services and energy.
“Current construction and material consumption patterns are unsustainable to maintain economic prosperity and the well-being of future generations. We need a paradigm shift in production/construction systems and societal consumption patterns.”
Q: And how do you think the technologies we are developing contribute to creating a safer and greener construction industry?
A: Our technologies (wearable devices and robotics) will ensure workplace safety, reduce injuries and job losses, and increase productivity.
In particular, we work on:
- Introducing new wearable devices, equipment and systems for the prevention of musculoskeletal trauma and other occupational risks for workers and for predicting potential risks and improvements in the workplace.
- HF & UX (Human Factors & User Experience), data analytics, exoskeleton usability, and smart exoskeletons tailored to each person and each application.
“Our technologies will ensure workplace safety, reduce injuries and job losses, and increase productivity.”
Q: Finally, what do you think about technology’s impact on the construction sector over the next decade?
A: The future economy in Europe will be based on a new industrial basis — green and digital — and this fact also applies to construction. We need competitive companies, which means innovative companies. The construction industry is labour-intensive, which is why Europe really needs to adopt an ecosystem approach to boosting knowledge co-creation and the construction sector’s access to technology.
“The construction industry is labour-intensive. Europe needs to adopt an ecosystem approach to boosting knowledge co-creation and the construction sector’s access to technology.”
The scaling-up of technology entails making the new solutions work effectively in complex contexts, such as the construction environment. Therefore, running pilot projects is crucial to test and demonstrate the effectiveness of technological solutions in situ so that market access will be granted, thus bridging the gap between the application-ready product and its scale implementation.
Q: Where can we learn more about your work?
A: In our websites dedicated to robotics, automation, and mechatronic control and exoskeletons without frontiers and crutches.
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