AI exposure: Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians
Operate, test, maintain, or adjust unmanned, automated, servomechanical, or electromechanical equipment. May operate unmanned submarines, aircraft, or other equipment to observe or record visual information at sites such as oil rigs, crop fields, buildings, or for similar infrastructure, deep ocean exploration, or hazardous waste removal. May assist engineers in testing and designing robotics equipment.
Reading this score
computedAt 26.9% of weighted task load, Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians sits at the 49th percentile, below the point where a job's centre of gravity has moved. 55.3% of what this role does is untouched, meaning current systems cannot produce that work at all, whatever the commercial incentive.
What holds the line here is context. Across this occupation's 28 tasks it averages 1.78 out of 3, the highest of the five friction dimensions. In plain terms, the work depends on knowledge the model cannot hold. Much of this job runs on things that were never written down: what this particular organisation does, what happened last week, what the person across the table actually meant. That context is the barrier, and it erodes as systems are given more access.
The most exposed thing this job does is Prepare written documentation of electromechanical test results, at 73.3%. The least is Operate metalworking machines to fabricate housings, jigs, fittings, or fixtures, at 0.0%. A gap of 73.3% between two parts of the same job is the reason this index publishes at task level. An occupation-wide number would have hidden both.
Within architecture and engineering occupations, this one is less exposed than the median of 37.5% across the group's 56 roles, with 53 scoring higher. Being in an exposed family does not make a particular job exposed, and the reverse holds too.
What would move this score. Of 28 tasks, 15 are currently banded exposed, 1 assisted and 12 untouched. For that distribution to shift materially would take cheaper ways to verify output, since the cost of checking is currently doing more to hold this work in place than the cost of producing it. The score is re-computed every quarter against a fresh capability reference, and the change is published rather than quietly applied.
Where the score comes from
judgedEvery task is scored through the standardised work activities it maps to. These are this occupation’s averages on the six rubric dimensions. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.
| Dimension | Mean | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | 1.98 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 1.49 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 0.43 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 1.14 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.78 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.62 | 0-3 |
Task by task
28 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare written documentation of electromechanical test results. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | 4.19 | exposed |
| Analyze engineering designs of logic or digital circuitry, motor controls, instrumentation, or data acquisition for implementation into new or existing automated, servomechanical, or other electromechanical systems. | 66.7% | 33.3% | 0.0% | 3.50 | exposed |
| Conduct statistical studies to analyze or compare production costs for sustainable and nonsustainable designs. | 66.7% | 33.3% | 0.0% | 3.43 | exposed |
| Establish and maintain inventory, records, or documentation systems. | 58.3% | 29.2% | 12.5% | 3.54 | exposed |
| Install or program computer hardware or machine or instrumentation software in microprocessor-based systems. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 4.28 | exposed |
| Select electromechanical equipment, materials, components, or systems to meet functional specifications. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 3.63 | exposed |
| Determine whether selected electromechanical components comply with environmental standards and regulations. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 3.69 | exposed |
| Read blueprints, schematics, diagrams, or technical orders to determine methods and sequences of assembly. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | 4.23 | exposed |
| Develop or implement programs related to the environmental impact of engineering activities. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | 3.62 | exposed |
| Translate electromechanical drawings into design specifications, applying principles of engineering, thermal or fluid sciences, mathematics, or statistics. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | 3.24 | exposed |
| Consult with machinists to ensure that electromechanical equipment or systems meet design specifications. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | – | exposed |
| Produce electrical, electronic, or mechanical drawings or other related documents or graphics necessary for electromechanical design, using computer-aided design (CAD) software. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 3.74 | exposed |
| Identify energy-conserving production or fabrication methods, such as by bending metal rather than cutting and welding or casting metal. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 3.12 | exposed |
| Train others to install, use, or maintain robots. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 3.56 | exposed |
| Assist engineers to implement electromechanical designs in industrial or other settings. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | – | exposed |
| Specify, coordinate, or conduct quality-control or quality-assurance programs and procedures. | 20.0% | 30.0% | 50.0% | 3.41 | assisted |
| Develop, test, or program new robots. | 18.5% | 23.2% | 58.3% | 4.32 | untouched |
| Modify, maintain, or repair electrical, electronic, or mechanical components, equipment, or systems to ensure proper functioning. | 15.6% | 17.8% | 66.7% | 4.22 | untouched |
| Inspect parts for surface defects. | 15.0% | 10.0% | 75.0% | 4.13 | untouched |
| Verify part dimensions or clearances to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments. | 15.0% | 10.0% | 75.0% | 3.99 | untouched |
| Repair, rework, or calibrate hydraulic or pneumatic assemblies or systems to meet operational specifications or tolerances. | 10.8% | 14.2% | 75.0% | 3.94 | untouched |
| Operate, test, or maintain robotic equipment used for green production applications, such as waste-to-energy conversion systems, minimization of material waste, or replacement of human operators in dangerous work environments. | 10.6% | 14.4% | 75.0% | 3.75 | untouched |
| Test performance of electromechanical assemblies, using test instruments such as oscilloscopes, electronic voltmeters, or bridges. | 8.3% | 16.7% | 75.0% | 4.29 | untouched |
| Select and use laboratory, operational, or diagnostic techniques or test equipment to assess electromechanical circuits, equipment, processes, systems, or subsystems. | 8.3% | 16.7% | 75.0% | 3.79 | untouched |
| Install electrical or electronic parts and hardware in housings or assemblies, using soldering equipment and hand tools. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.09 | untouched |
| Fabricate or assemble mechanical, electrical, or electronic components or assemblies. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 3.90 | untouched |
| Align, fit, or assemble component parts, using hand or power tools, fixtures, templates, or microscopes. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 3.88 | untouched |
| Operate metalworking machines to fabricate housings, jigs, fittings, or fixtures. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 3.31 | untouched |
Task text and importance ratings sourced from O*NET 31.0. Shares computed. The occupation score is the importance-weighted mean. 2 task(s) lacked a usable O*NET weight and are shown but excluded from the weighting.
Occupations either side of this one
The four closest scores in the same occupational family, then the four closest anywhere in the index.
Read this carefully. Exposure is not displacement. A high score means current AI systems can produce this work, not that anyone will stop paying a person to do it. Adoption depends on economics, regulation and inertia that this index deliberately does not model. How the score is built.
What this means in practice
Most of this work is not reachable by current systems, so the immediate pressure is on the administrative edges of the role rather than its core: the scheduling, the reporting, the written records. That is where time is recovered.