Nissan's AI Cameras Track Worker Movements, Cut Injury Costs

Nissan Motor Co. has installed AI-powered cameras at its Canton, Mississippi, assembly plant that track how workers bend and reach for parts as they build the Altima sedan and the Frontier pickup. Victor Taylor, Nissan's divisional vice president of manufacturing for the Americas, told Business Insider the system has contributed to about $34 million in safety and health-related savings at the plant.

Taylor said the technology is not aimed at cutting jobs. "We're not talking about job elimination," he said. "What we're referring to are mundane tasks that are really antiquated for a human being to be performing."

Chi Amaechi, a Nissan process engineer and former safety engineer who worked on the system's implementation, said Canton uses what it calls a "golden cycle" for each job. The golden cycle defines the standard way a task should be performed, including the sequence for installing components and the body movements designed to reduce repetitive strain.

"What it does is it monitors body angles proactively," Amaechi said while showing Business Insider a virtual demonstration. "It's basically identifying your joints, so it can identify when a person is bending in a position that's beyond the safety requirement."

When the system detects an employee bending too far or holding an unsafe position too long, it flags the risk for plant managers. Supervisors and engineers can use that information to coach workers or redesign a workstation. Amaechi said the technology replaces manual observations that can be inconsistent, since employees may change their behavior when they know someone is watching.

Nissan initially evaluated the technology to improve manufacturing efficiency and help train new workers, Taylor said. The ergonomic benefits emerged later. "We weren't originally looking for that," he said of the safety applications. "It just kind of shown itself as, this is the biggest win."