Machines have been playing a significant role in human reality for a substantial time. However, during the past few years, we’ve been hearing about unexpected advancements in robotics together with artificial intelligence. While many of us have observed robot-centric films like Will Smith’s I, Robot which can be intimidating a little, modern robots don’t try to scare you. Instead, they try to make your life a little easier, almost in every aspect.
You may have watched vacuum cleaners chasing the wily dust bunnies or have experienced a ride on a driverless shuttle at the airport. But in reality, the robotics field has much more potential than performing these day-to-day tasks. Though the field of robotics is yet to be fully realized, robots have already started changing our world in their own way. From the fields of transportation, and manufacturing to agriculture and healthcare – robots are transforming our everyday lives, and to be more precise, the way we work.
If you still need some convincing, keep on reading as we show you some key aspects of your life that are being benefitted by robotics.
The employment sector
Whether you like it or not, emergence of robotics has already replaced some people in their jobs. It’s predicted further that some occupations like telemarketers, insurance underwriters, tax-return preparers etc are at a risk of being automated because of robotics. However, in the near future, robotics will most likely replace tasks, not the jobs. In addition, it has already created, and will go on to create new jobs and associated markets in the future. Probably, there will be need of re-training and additional education for those jobs, but opportunities will be there. While the nature of technology in our workplace might be unpredictable, with proper preparation and a focus on developing a more educated human workforce that can work alongside automated technologies, opportunities will be huge.
The hazardous working environment
Being fragile in nature, humans can’t work efficiently and safely in situations that are considered substantially hazardous. Hence, for several years now, a diverse range of industries has been utilizing robots to traverse hazardous areas without compromising their human workers’ lives to such variable and extreme conditions. For example, in the manufacturing industry, robots are often used for welding, forging, and painting in hot and humid atmosphere with exposure to asbestos, silica, banzopyrene, nitrous oxides, isocyanates gases etc, which would have been extremely risky and full of health hazards for human workers. Powered by computer science, advanced robotics not only helps to perform hazardous, unsafe, and highly repetitive tasks, but even brings down accidents and insurance claims while increasing productivity, safety, quality and precision.
The home environment
Home robots operating in a cloud-connected environment have already become an integral part of our lives. Today, we can program the vacuum cleaner to perform the chore for us, make the lights and other electrical gadgets be switched on and off as we enter or exit a room, and can schedule a home-cooked meal to be prepared by the time we’re done with work. We have multi-function robotic cookers capable of steaming, frying, slow cooking, baking, and performing almost any other action without human interventions. We only need to set them up.
The medical sector
To many of us, the discouraging things about hospitals include blood, needles, and scary machines. What if friendly machines make you comfortable and help you in faster recovery? Robots are helping doctors to a good extent in making operations easier. They make it easier to observe a patient’s body and fix problems compared to human hands. Today, robotic surgery is in good demand because it represents the most innovative and newest technique that has got a lot of positive user reviews.
By nature, children are usually terrified of the hospital experience. Here again, some hospital robots help them get acquainted with the setting before they have a procedure preformed or while they’re recovering during the post-op period.
The industrial sector
In today’s landscape of industrial revolution, advanced robotics is playing a crucial role in streamlining and automating several operations. Industrial robots are greatly coveted in various industries – from electronics, automotive, and chemicals, to food manufacturing, and metals. From moving, packing, labeling, painting and welding, to product testing and inspection, properly programmed robots can ensure that production lines don’t suffer from queues and are able to churn out flawless products. These machines trim-down the probabilities of product failure and thus, lower additional expenditures.
The education sector
The line between individual learning settings and classrooms has already started to blur. While a single teacher doesn’t have the capacity to cater to the needs of personalized learning for every single student in a classroom, learning aided by robotics has already started changing things significantly. But remember – it’s not about replacing the educator; rather, it’s about enabling students to learn at their own pace instead.
Wrapping up
Apart from the above aspects, robotics has already started increasing our overall standard of living, and it will do more over time. We’ve experienced this throughout history: mechanization and automation boosted the overall standard of human life. The field of robotics and its area of implementation are booming, and the domain is projected to get bigger and better in the coming years.
Robotics has the ability to shape the world in ways humans can’t even predict. However, it’s equally important for a wide range of people to hold access to and have knowledge about the fundamentals of robotics so that they can raise diverse perspectives to problems that we’ll encounter in the future. To attain this, our key goal should be to provide the learners with the tools they require to respond with adequate technical expertise, and agile problem-solving skills.