  The rising adoption of industrial robots is radically changing the role of
workers in the production process. Robots can be used for some of the more
physically demanding and dangerous production work, thus reducing the
possibility of worker injury. On the other hand, robots may replace workers,
potentially increasing worker anxiety about their job safety. In this paper, we
investigate how individual physical health and mental health outcomes vary with
local exposure to robots for manufacturing workers in China. We find a link
between robot exposure and better physical health of workers, particularly for
younger workers and those with less education. However, we also find that robot
exposure is associated with more mental stress for Chinese workers,
particularly older and less educated workers.
