Textile workers in India are increasingly recording their daily tasks using wearable cameras to provide essential behavioral data for training AI-driven robots in physical intelligence and precision.

Key Points

• Workers in Nagpur and Tamil Nadu are using head-mounted cameras and Meta smart glasses to record manual tasks for robotics training.
• US-based firm Objectways and Bengaluru-based Humyn Labs are leading efforts to collect millions of hours of "egocentric data" from global factory floors.
• Robotics companies require this first-person footage to teach machines how to handle delicate materials and adapt to unpredictable, real-world environments.
• Data collectors in India are typically paid between Rs 250 and Rs 350 per hour for recording their physical movements and labor.
• Industry experts estimate a demand for 100 million to 1 billion hours of training data over the next two to three years.

Why it Matters

This trend highlights a significant power imbalance where low-wage workers are effectively training the very machines that may eventually render their own roles obsolete. As companies race to develop human-like physical AI, the lack of transparency regarding data ownership and long-term employment security raises urgent ethical questions about the future of labor.