The future of robots: everything you need to know in 2024

What are robots?

Robotics is the branch of engineering that deals with the concept, design, construction, operation, application and use of robots. Going deeper, we see that robots are defined as a machine that operates automatically and performs a series of actions independently and performs work that is usually done by a human.

By the way, robots don't have to resemble humans, although some do. Look at pictures of car assembly lines for proof. Human-looking robots are commonly referred to as “androids”. Although robot designers make their creations appear human so that people will feel more comfortable around them, this is not always the case. Some people find robots, especially humanoid ones, scary.

Types of robots

Robots are versatile machines, as evidenced by their diversity of forms and functions. Here is a list of some of the types of robots we see today:

• Healthcare: Robots in healthcare do everything from assisting in surgery to physical therapy to helping people walk to navigating through hospitals and delivering basic supplies like medications or linens. Healthcare robots have even contributed to the ongoing battle against the pandemic, filling and sealing test swabs and producing respirators.
• Home Life: You don't need to look any further than a Roomba to find a robot in someone's home. But they now do more than just vacuum floors; Home robots can mow lawns or enhance gadgets like Alexa.
• Manufacturing: The manufacturing field was the first to adopt robots, such as the car assembly line machines we mentioned previously. Industrial robots handle various tasks such as arc welding, material handling, steel cutting, and food packaging.
• Logistics: Everyone wants their online orders delivered on time, if not earlier. So companies use robots to stack warehouse shelves, retrieve goods, and even make short-range deliveries.
• Space Exploration: Mars explorers like Sojourner and Perseverance are robots. The Hubble Telescope is classified as a robot, as are deep space probes such as Voyager and Cassini.
• Military: Robots handle dangerous missions, and they don't get any more difficult than modern warfare. Thus, the military has a variety of robots equipped to handle many of the most dangerous jobs associated with war. For example, there's Centaur, an explosive detection/disposal robot that searches for mines and IEDs, MUTT, which tracks soldiers and carries their equipment, and SAFFiR, which fights fires that break out on naval ships.
• Entertainment: We already have robot toys, robot figurines, and robot restaurants. As robots develop, expect their entertainment value to rise accordingly.
• Travel: We only need to say three words: autonomous vehicles.

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Advantages and disadvantages of robots

Like any innovation today, robots have their pros and cons. Here's a breakdown of the good and bad things about robots and the future of robotics.

Advantages

• They work in dangerous environments: why risk human lives when you can send a robot to do the job? Think about how preferable it would be to have a robot fighting a fire or working in the core of a nuclear reactor.
• It's cost-effective: The robots don't take sick days or coffee breaks, and they don't need perks like life insurance, paid time off, or health care offerings like dental and vision.
• It increases productivity: robots are equipped to perform endlessly repetitive tasks; The human brain is not like that. Industries are using robots to complete tedious and repetitive work, freeing up employees to handle more challenging tasks and even learn new skills.
• They provide better quality assurance: Low alertness is a lapse in concentration that afflicts workers who perform the same jobs repeatedly. As a person's level of concentration decreases, the possibility of making mistakes, bad results, or even accidents increases. Robots perform repetitive tasks flawlessly without their performance diminishing due to boredom.

cons

• It incurs huge startup costs: implementing a bot is an investment risk, and it costs a lot. Although most manufacturers eventually see a return on their investment in the long term, it is costly in the short term. However, this is a common hurdle in new technology implementation, such as setting up a wireless network or performing a cloud migration.
• They may take away jobs: Yes, some people have been replaced by robots in certain situations, like assembly lines, for example. When business incorporates game-changing technology, some jobs become victims. However, this drawback may be exaggerated because robot implementation usually creates a greater demand for people to support the technology, leading to the latter drawback.
• They require companies to hire skilled support staff: This drawback is good news for potential employees, but bad news for frugal-minded companies. Robots require programmers, operators and repair personnel. While job seekers may rejoice, the prospect of having to hire professionals (and pay professional-level salaries!) may act as a barrier to implementing robotics.

The future of robotics: What is the benefit of artificial intelligence in robotics?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) increases human-robot interaction, collaboration opportunities, and quality. The industrial sector already has cobots, which are robots that work alongside humans to perform testing and assembly.

Advances in artificial intelligence are helping robots mimic human behavior more closely, which is why they were created in the first place. Robots that act and think like humans can better integrate into the workforce and achieve a level of efficiency unmatched by human employees.

Robot designers use artificial intelligence to give their creations enhanced capabilities such as:

• Computer vision: Robots can identify and recognize objects they encounter, distinguish details, and learn how to navigate or avoid certain items.
• Manipulation: AI helps robots acquire the fine motor skills needed to grasp objects without destroying the item.
• Motion control and navigation: Robots no longer need humans to guide them along paths and process flows. Artificial intelligence enables robots to analyze their environment and navigate autonomously. This possibility applies even to the virtual world of software. AI helps bot processes avoid flow bottlenecks or process exceptions.

• Natural language processing (NLP) and real-world cognition: AI and machine learning (ML) help robots better understand their surroundings, recognize and identify patterns, and make sense of data. These improvements increase the robot's autonomy and reduce reliance on human agents.

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A word about bots

Software bots are computer programs that perform tasks without human intervention, such as web crawlers or chatbots. These robots are completely virtual and are not considered actual robots because they do not have any physical characteristics.

This technology should not be confused with automated software that is loaded onto a robot and determines its programming. However, it is normal to encounter overlap between the two entities, because in both cases, the software helps the entity (robot or computer program) perform its functions independently of human interaction.

The future of robots and robotics

Thanks to improved sensor technology and remarkable advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence, robots will continue to move from routine machines to collaborators in cognitive functions. These developments and other related fields are on an upward trajectory, and robotics will benefit greatly from these steps.

We can expect to see larger numbers of increasingly sophisticated robots integrated into more areas of life, working alongside humans. Unlike dystopian prophets of doom, these improved robots will not replace workers. Industries rise and fall, and some become obsolete in the face of new technologies, bringing new opportunities for employment and education.

This is the case with robots. There will probably be fewer human workers welding automobile tires, but there will be a greater need for skilled technicians to program, maintain, and repair machines. In many cases, this means that employees can gain valuable internal training and upskilling, giving them a skill set that can be applied to robot programming and maintenance and other fields and industries.

The Future of Robots: How Robots Will Change the World

Robots will increase economic growth and productivity and create new job opportunities for many people around the world. However, there are still warnings about significant job losses, with 20 million manufacturing jobs expected to be lost by 2030, or how 30% of all jobs could be automated by 2030.

But thanks to the consistent levels of precision provided by robots, we can look forward to robots that handle more tedious and repetitive manual labor tasks, making transportation run more efficiently, improving health care, and freeing people to better themselves. But, of course, time will tell how all this will play out.

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