The time for robots to be a major part of the real world has come. Robots are not only being used in schools but they have conquered even the workplace and the military. In fact, their skills are improving thereby enabling them to increase productivity much more than what humans can achieve.
Unlike in the past when progress was achieved in a slow manner, today developments are attained rapidly primarily due to digitalization. As an example, the progress of semiconductor technology was noted to be at a 40 percent rate for more than five decades. This is evident in the development of robots and automobiles to drones.
These so-called intelligent machines have replaced much of manpower particularly in the manufacturing industry such as in car making and food manufacturing. This automation of jobs, unfortunately, displaces thousands or even hundreds of thousands of workers.
Displaced Workers
In new industries such as nanotechnology and synthetic biology, advanced technology including major computing centers is also being utilized. As such, they won’t be employing many people moving forward.
Meanwhile, a huge manufacturing company in China is facing the same fate. Foxconn, considered as the largest contract manufacturer in the world, has been installing robots known as Foxbots at a rate of 30,000 per year since 2011. These robots perform various tasks including spraying, welding and assembly. Currently, the company has more than a million workers yet about one million robotic workers are also being planned to be added in the near future.
Jobs Robots Doing Now
Currently, quite a number of companies are utilizing robots in their main operations. Amazon.com has robots serving as stockroom workers. The short and orange robot army is tasked to move stocked shelves to workers making the scanning of items faster than usual.
A famous cruise line also uses robots as bartenders. Royal Carribean’s Quantum of the Seas ship boasts of its N1-C and B1-IO robots that not only serves cocktails but dances to entertain guests as well.
On the military side, the combat soldiers of the U.S. are foreseen to be replaced by robots by the year 2030. These robots, according to U.S. Army General Robert Cone, will be able to dismantle land mines and engage in front-line combat.
The pharmaceutical sector is also keeping abreast. For instance, a pharmacy at the University of California in San Francisco has a robot that packs and dispenses medicines after the computers receive the prescriptions.
The farming sector, on the other hand, now uses robots that can perform various work. These include surveying the land, driving tractors as well as cutting, pruning and harvesting crops.
With the presence of robots in different sectors today, many are still hoping that humans will continue to have a significant role in society. They point out that technology should be used in balanced way such that people will remain of value to companies and manufacturers.