Science fiction? No, it is the latest in worker productivity.

In 2016, Amazon filed a patent for a device described as a “system and method for transporting personnel within an active workplace”. It looks like a cage large enough to fit a worker and mounted on top of an automated trolley device with a robotic arm that faces outwards.

Questions:
1. Why was it designed in the first place?
2. What did Amazon executives think about it?
3. What is haptic feedback?
4. What are the costs and benefits of this system?
5. In your opinion, is there something wrong with the Amazon system of worker productivity? Discuss.

Source:
Spicer, A. (2018). Amazon’s ‘worker cage’ has been dropped, but its staff are not free. The Guardian, Sep. 14 (Retrievable online at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/14/amazon-worker-cage-staff)