Professional gestures are at the heart of many manual practices. Whether working with leather or positioning metal parts on a production line, professionals who work with their hands engage their bodies in a direct relationship with the material. These gestures are the result of a long tradition and bear witness to a living heritage shared in workshops and factories.
Whether artisanal or industrial, these trades embody a technical and cultural memory. Their richness lies in a fine mastery of movement, but also in constant confrontation with physical constraints: the weight of the material, the need for precision, muscle fatigue, and prolonged postures. Under these conditions, how can we support movement without taking it away?
Henri Bergson, in The Two Sources of Morality and Religion, offers a profound and enduring reflection on stabilizing forces (necessity, obligation, habit) and creative dynamics (open morality, mysticism). These concepts find inspiring resonance today in the dialogue between gesture, robotics, and manual trades, where each gesture reflects a collective memory and the transmission of know-how from masters to apprentices. As he writes, “what they have allowed to flow within themselves is a descending stream that wants, through them, to reach other people.”
Manual trades: a wealth that embodies a living heritage
Manual trades perpetuate gestures steeped in history and play an essential role in preserving cultural identities. They are based on necessity (which brings together practical and functional needs); obligation (which preserves traditions and frames know-how through transmitted rules); and habit (which inscribes gestures in technical mastery while opening the way to creative expression).
These crafts also reflect the legacy of Homo faber, Bergson’s fundamental concept that defines humans as toolmakers, capable of transforming matter that is “physically conceived, awaiting mathematical conception.” In other words, before being modeled by mathematics, matter is first grasped physically through gestures and practical intuition. In manual trades, Homo faber manifests itself through gestures that are not only utilitarian, but also carry symbolic and aesthetic significance, embodying a part of collective memory.
According to Bergson, craftsmanship could be defined as the imitation of instinct by intelligence. It is the result of meticulous transmission, where repetition and experience make it possible to recreate the instinctive fluidity observed in nature. However, Bergson invites us to reflect:
Humanity groans, half crushed under the weight of its own progress. It does not know enough that its future depends on itself.
Henri Bergson, Les Deux Sources de la morale et de la religion, Paris, PUF, 1932, p. 194
While the manufacture of tools and mechanisms can extend human capabilities, they must remain rooted in a dynamic where creativity and spirituality remain central. Without this, Homo faber risks becoming trapped in a purely technical mechanism.
Gesture, fluidity, and robotics: a promising dialogue
In manual trades, human gestures are distinguished by an instinctive fluidity acquired through experience and mastery. This flow allows for harmonious interaction between the craftsman and the material.
However, breaks in fluidity can occur, often imposed by the physical properties of the material (such as its hardness, weight, or fragility). This can involve, for example, the prolonged adjustment of heavy solid wood panels over long hours, where the continuity of the gesture is put to the test, or the assembly of automotive components on the production line, where the repetition of shoulder-height gestures becomes painful and can affect the regularity of the movement.
This is where cobotics (collaborative robotics equipped with layers of artificial intelligence) could play a complementary role, mobilized—like any other tool—to intervene when disruptions occur, thereby supporting the continuity and efficiency of movements.
Cobotics already plays this role in certain sectors. Examples include dough-kneading cobots in the food industry, collaborative arms used for screwing or polishing in the automotive industry, and cobots that assist humans in repetitive assembly tasks. What is at stake here is not only the continuity of the action, but above all the preservation of what makes it valuable, i.e. its precision, adaptability, and sometimes even its beauty.
In the spirit of Homo faber, cobots could be seen as advanced tools, designed not to replace craftsmen, but to intervene at critical moments when the continuity of movement is threatened.
The creative effort was only successful along the line of evolution that led to man. Passing through matter, consciousness took on the form of manufacturing intelligence, as if in a mold.
Henri Bergson, Les Deux Sources de la morale et de la religion, Paris, PUF, 1932, p. 128
Crafts and luxury goods: between excellence and innovation
In the crafts, whether glassmaking, fine jewelry, or leather goods, this reflection takes on a unique dimension. The Bergsonian approach distinguishes between bodily habits, translated into mastered gestures, and mental habits, derived from transmitted know-how. Traditional tools extend these gestural habits, enabling an immediate connection between the hand and the material.
In contrast, cobots can externalize not only physical gestures but also certain mental processes, introducing a more elaborate interaction. For example, in an antique furniture restoration workshop, a cobot can hold a complex piece—such as a fragile carved frame—while the craftsman adjusts a marquetry. It can also hand them the necessary tools in a pre-established sequence, reducing micro-interruptions and allowing them to focus on the precision of the task at hand. Although exoskeletons can also be considered “passive” tools that facilitate certain physical tasks—such as carrying heavy loads or maintaining prolonged postures—they are not strictly speaking robots.
This distinction between physical and mental habits highlights the challenge of preserving creative momentum in the face of mechanization, which risks freezing mechanical routines. These professions embody a quest for excellence and uniqueness, where every gesture has exceptional aesthetic and symbolic value. Cobotics could help preserve the fluidity and ergonomics of movements during demanding tasks, while maintaining the artistic integrity of creations.
Homo faber, open morality, and innovation
Bergson also distinguishes between closed morality, which stabilizes but rigidifies, and open morality, which transcends existing frameworks to open up new avenues. These concepts shed light on the challenge of thoughtfully integrating cobotics into manual trades:
A closed approach would limit cobots to a simple mechanical extension, risking freezing know-how in standardized processes.
An open approach, on the other hand, would view cobots as evolutionary extensions of the capabilities of Homo faber, responding to the imperatives imposed by the material.
Without necessarily choosing between closed and open morality, the essential remains to respond to the imperatives imposed by the material, while respecting the richness of traditions and the beauty of the gesture. It is a question of supporting human beings where they encounter resistance, while preserving what gives dignity to the act of making.
A perspective for all manual trades
Manual trades are at a crossroads: how can they flourish in the age of cobotics while remaining true to their essence? These professions, rooted in intuition and cultural preservation, face a unique challenge. Cobotics could become an ally in prolonging and enriching the craft. With thoughtful integration, it offers the opportunity to imagine a future where tradition and innovation reinforce each other.
How far can we outsource without betraying the authenticity of craftsmanship? How can we ensure that robotics remains a tool to support rather than replace human know-how? These questions call for collective reflection on the limits and promises of this symbiosis. With an open and ethical vision, cobotics could not only contribute to the preservation of know-how, but also highlight its essence, while leaving room for reflection on the ethical and aesthetic issues of its integration.
Author
- Sotiris Manitsaris – Deputy Director at the Robotics Center, Mines Paris – PSL
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
