ISLAMABAD: Thousands of Pakistani factory workers are helping develop smarter machines through real-world movement data.
The workers perform their regular duties while cameras and sensors record their physical movements. Pakistani startup World Context collects this information for robotics companies and researchers.
The company converts the recordings into datasets for training machines. It currently collects movement data from around 8,000 workers, according to its founder.
World Context founder and CEO Sherdil Ali Khan said participating workers earn higher wages. He said their pay is roughly twice their previous wages.
Workers Show Machines How Tasks Are Done
World Context works with employees across several industrial sectors. These include textiles, automotive manufacturing, electronics and logistics.
The company also works with workers in healthcare and heavy industry. Specialist manufacturing is another sector included in its data collection efforts.
Workers continue performing tasks they already know. These tasks include gripping tools, fitting components and pressing controls.
They also adjust objects during different stages of production. Special equipment records how workers complete these actions.
The equipment includes smart gloves and cameras. Cameras can be attached to workers’ heads, wrists and feet.
These devices capture small movements during different physical tasks. The information can help developers understand how humans interact with objects.
Why Robots Need Human Movement Data
Artificial intelligence can learn from large amounts of digital information. However, machines face greater challenges when dealing with the physical world.
A Robot needs to understand how objects behave during physical tasks. It must also learn how much force to use.
For example, gripping an object requires the correct amount of pressure. Too much force can damage an object.
A machine also needs to respond when objects behave unexpectedly. Human workers often make these adjustments without consciously thinking about them.
Factory workers already have these practical skills. World Context records their actions to create useful training examples.
The company says each recording follows a written agreement. Data is also checked for quality and documented for its source.
World Context can create custom datasets for companies. These datasets can focus on specific tasks or work environments.
Pakistan Joins the Global Robotics Industry
Khan said the company aims to connect Pakistan with global robotics companies. Its planned data supply chain targets firms in the United States and other markets.
The company said US robotics firms have already used data collected from Pakistani factories.
Pakistan has a large industrial workforce with experience across different manufacturing environments. This could provide valuable data that is difficult to recreate through computer simulations.
The approach also creates an unusual link between workers and automation. A Robot may eventually perform some tasks currently handled by humans.
However, machines first need examples showing how those tasks should be completed. Workers therefore play an important role in developing physical AI systems.
The model could provide workers with financial benefits while the technology develops. At the same time, automation could eventually reduce demand for certain industrial jobs.
World Context is turning human skills into training data for machines. This could give Pakistan a growing role in the global robotics industry.
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The initiative also highlights how human experience remains valuable in developing advanced automation. Workers are helping machines learn physical tasks that are difficult to understand through digital information alone.
