The Future of Robotic Technology - Case Study Example

THE FUTURE OF ROBOTICS Name: Lecturer: Course: Date: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 The benefits and limitations of robotics for individuals 4 The Benefits and Limitations of Robotics for Organizations 8 Recommendations to Individuals on how they should prepare for the Future of Robotics 10 Recommendations to Organizations on how they can Utilize Robotics in their businesses 11 Recommendations to Governments on policy implications for Robotics 12 What robotics may mean for my future 12 Conclusion 13 References 14 Executive Summary This report examines the future of robotic technology. The report acknowledges the fact that the technology has greatly transformed both individuals and organizations. The benefits derived by individuals are immense; nevertheless, robotic technologies have instigated a key challenge which is unemployment. Organizations on the other hand have greatly benefited from robotic technologies. Some major benefits include cost reduction, increased productivity and the support of organizational workflows. Some of the key recommendations propagated in terms dealing with the future of robotics are that people should advance their skills in order to effectively adapt to the future. Organizations on the other hand are recommended to maintain the workforce instead of completely eliminating the human resource due to the adoption of the robotic technology. Introduction The invention of Robots is evidently one of the most outstanding technological creations. Enthusiasts of robotic technology believe that the incorporation of robots in contemporary society is bound to bring about tremendous changes in many aspects of the economy. However, the robotics technology has elicited serious debates. A section of economists for instance warn that robots as a remarkable stride in technology that is bound to eliminate a large number of employees in the job market. This argument was also predicted by John Maynard Keynes in his 1930 essay; “Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren”. Keynes stated that a new disease of technological unemployment will occur due to technological advancement (The Economist, 2014). This report seeks to examine various issues concerning the future of robotic technologies. The benefits and limitations of robotics for individuals Robotics can be beneficial to individuals in various ways. One of the benefits of robotics is the changing of roles undertaken by individuals from complex task to more simplified tasks. Butler et al (2012) conducted a study on the impact of the robotic milking systems on the role of the stockperson. According to the study, automatic milking or the robotic system milking has become increasingly significant in the dairy farming activities in North America and also in Europe. The robotic milking machines are able to automatically milk cows at any particular time without the existence of a human worker present. The cows decide on when to be milked, they get into the robot, they are then milked after which they return to their herds. The findings of the study further disclosed the role of a stock person has greatly been changed due to the use of the robotic system. This is because robots provide an opportunity for farmers to use their time differently. For instance; the time spent on milking is now used for observation or other activities, thus making work more simplified. Robots are also beneficial to individuals due to their ability to improve human performance through teams that consist of humans and robots. There are various types of human- robot interactions which have brought about improvement in human performance. A case in point is when robots and humans perform their roles through dialogue. This assists in developing situational and contextual analysis. Dialogue also assists robots and humans to support each other; this offers better application of capabilities of both the robots and humans and further balances the workload between the two parties (Fong et al, 2006). Robots also provide feedback to humans in the event that errors in performance occur. The feedback is provided using direct communication through approaches such as body language, text and speech. By providing feedback on performance, robots contribute significantly to improving human performance. In most cases, teams made up of humans and robots usually perform effectively when synergy in created (Scholtz, 2002). Another significant benefit of robotics for individuals is that they promote the learning of new skills and knowledge in a quicker and reliable means. Robots have today become a useful tool for promoting learning for individuals whether in the work environment or even in school .For instance; the International Centre for Advanced Technologies developed a Mindstorms robot referred to as NXT which has been very useful when conducting workshops for employees in order to promote technological talent. The NXT workshops assist the learners to acquire various skills such as team work, designing and language skills (Pitti, et al, 2012). Also, robotics offers time for mangers to cross – train staff members, which provides flexibility in staffing (Eckberg, 1998). The elimination of health and safety hazards is another significant benefit of robotics (Nof, 1999). Dangerous working environments exist that pose as health risks to human beings. The invention of robots has therefore been a useful strategy for the elimination of health hazards that may affect the health of workers. Robots have the ability to work even in environments that may pose danger to human beings. A case in point is after the March 2011 powerful earthquake that attacked Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan, a team of plant workers were sent inside reactor buildings in order to vent the hydrogen that had accumulated. The workers were however defected due to the fact that they were exposed to the maximum limits of radiation which can be harmful to their health. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), contracted robots that were able to resolve the existing danger (Pratt, 2013). Despite of the existing benefits that can be derived robotics, various drawbacks exist. One dominant drawback is that the technology has spearheaded unemployment for people. The underlying principle behind the use of robots was to eliminate jobs that are referred to as the 3 D jobs, those that are; Dirty, Dull and dangerous. Although, this premise seemed to be a noble cause, nevertheless it encouraged upheavals such as instigating unemployment. The assertion that robots assist in increasing productivity has further prompted unemployment. This arises due to factors such as robots lower the capital labour ratio in a given industry. They also lead to the reduction in the supply of qualified workers with specific job skills in a particular industry. For instance; jobs in the manufacturing industry have been replaced by robots. For instance, Foxconn the manufacturer of apple intends to eliminate 10,000 employees and replace them with robots (Jett, 2014). Another limitation of robotics is that robots cannot be effective team mates to human beings. Groom and Nass (2007) conducted a study to examine whether robots can be effective team mates to human beings. The study involved benchmarking human- robot teams. Groom and Nass (2007) challenge the supposition that robots can succeed as effective team mates for human beings. Drawing from various literature that handle the subject of human teams, the two researchers came out with the finding that the based on the fact that robots lack human like mental sense and models they usually end up to be untrustworthy and will finally be rejected by human teams. Breazeal, (2003) supports the study by stating that although robots have the ability to interact with people, the ability of people to interact with robots is limited. This implies that team work between the parties can be difficult. The Benefits and Limitations of Robotics for Organizations One major benefit of robotics for organizations is that it aids to increase productivity. When looking at the context of the manufacturing organizations, the use of robots has been very effective in terms of increasing productivity of firms. In many cases, increased productivity arises from the ability of the robot to maintain a constant pace throughout the whole shift of work as opposed to the ability of the robot to perform tasks faster that human beings. In some cases a person can actually out perform a robot in terms of the speed required to complete task, nevertheless a person cannot out perform a robot when it comes to maintaining the performance within the entire shift due to fatigue. In general, the use of a robotics in manufacturing organizations provides a worker who is not tired, which leads to increased production and maintaining a constant production rate (Hunt, 1983). For instance, The Toyota Motor Corporation has employed the use of the robot system in its automobile body assembly lines in many parts of the world since 1970. The company uses robotic systems majorly in task areas such as sealing, spot welding, inspection and sealing. The use of robots has greatly improved the productivity of the company (Nof, 1999). Another benefit of the robotic system to organizations is that it supports organizational workflows. Robots can be designed to benefit the work performed by ever member of the organization. Although some applications offer a collective benefit to the workforce, some employees have to adjust their workflows whereby they may be required to perform additional work. In the context of hospitals for instance the introduction of robots is helpful in supporting workflows. For instance; due to the introduction of robots, personnel working in the laundry division are no longer required to go round the post –partum and medical units in order to collect linen. After every half an hour robots visit the units and collect the linen that was left in the patient rooms and deliver them to the laundry units. This therefore makes workflows to be more simplified (Mutlu and Forlizzi, 2008). Robots can also be used to perform some undesirable tasks that can lead to cost reduction for the organization. If the working conditions are not well taken care of and ignored, workers usually complain about poor working conditions such fumes, excessive noise , heat, fumes and dirt which can result to a slowdown in work or spoilage, poor workmanship, sabotage and uncompleted operations. Such actions may result to an increase in the normal operational costs. Robots however are a cost effective strategy for the organization. This is because they are not affected by external environmental factors that affect employees, thus lowering operational costs (Hunt, 1983). Also by reducing the number of employees in the production process, robotics facilitates cost reduction. For instance; two firms using robotic process in Windor and St Louis save about 40 million in terms of labour costs each day (Hopey, 2008). Roberts can also enable organizations to obtain a competitive position within the market. Due to lower operation and production costs that arise from the use of robots, organizations can attain a competitive advantage by lowering their product costs which may give the firm a competitive advantage over other firms (Hunt, 1983). The limitation of robotic systems to organizations is that they are a bound to destroy information systems within an organization. Lewis et al (2006) highlight that; an organization is basically a sociotechnical system that is composed of ; people, their tasks, the environment, organizational culture and structure. This system can actually be destroyed by the use of technologies such as robots which do not enhance social relationships, management efficiency and improvement of the organizational structure. Recommendations to Individuals on how they should prepare for the Future of Robotics There is need for individuals to prepare for the future of robotics. As argued by Thomson, (2014) nearly half of the existing jobs will be automated which will further shred the number of job opportunities available in the market. One of the way in which individuals should prepare for the future of robots is to improve their skills in a manner that can outperform robots. There are various scenarios and jobs that robots perform better than human beings. For instance; robotic arms are usually stronger than the tireless arms of assembly line workers. Nevertheless, there is need for individuals to advance their skills to higher levels that cannot be attained by robots. For instance; assembly line workers should get training on how to repair poor parts or fixtures that can slip out if the grippers of robots (Thomopoulos, 2013). Also workers can improve their innovation/ innovative skills based on the fact that robots cannot be innovative, due to the fact that they lack metal functioning. Individual should also prepare for the future of robots by ensuring that they can be able to work in teams with the robots. Indeed studies concerning human and robotic teams indicate that the two parties can actually work together and attain the desired organizational performance. As a result there is need for individuals to learn how to work together with the robots so that they will not be affected with displacement due to the existence of robots. Recommendations to Organizations on how they can Utilize Robotics in their businesses Organizations can utilize robotics in their businesses to fit their strategies. Nof (1999) highlights that strategy should be understood in terms of the interaction between process and product , critical success factors and the life cycle of products. While many large organizations have implemented the use of robots as part of their strategies, small firms still find it difficult. This is due to the lack of expertise such can consultants who can assist the firm to implement the strategy. A number of firms also find it hard to integrate robotics as part of the strategies due to complex information systems that exist in their organizations. However, organizations whether small or big can adopt robots a part of their strategies in order to attain benefits such as a cost reduction, increase in productivity and support for the workflows that exist in the organization. However, the robots used should be designed in manner that can property fit in the strategy of the organization (Standish and Bedau, 2003). Organizations should also not totally exclude human resource in their organizations. As propagated by the systems theory, various components should operate together in order to attain the desired objectives (Dwivedi, 2011) Consequently, despite of the fact that robots can bring about positive outcomes to organizations, it is vital to put into consideration the fact that humans are, and will always be superior at caring for and working with other human beings (Thomson, 2014). In general, managers cannot just work effectively with robots without the existence of human beings. Recommendations to Governments on policy implications for Robotics It is essential that skills development should be given the highest priority within government policies. The government should actively arbitrate in the labour market in order to supply a sufficient amount of skilled technicians and workers with knowledge that can assist them to fit in the job market despite the existence of robots in various sectors of the economy such as manufacturing (Islam, 1994). Also, the government should integrate the study of robotics within the school curriculum. What is evident is that the future of robotics is definitely expanding on the upward trend. This is because more and more organizations are adopting robotics in their organizations. As a result, there is need for education policies to also adapt to this fact. As a result robotics should be integrated in the school curriculum (Mc Gill, 2009). What robotics may mean for my future Robotics has elicited a lot of feelings in contemporary society. For me, I believe that although this technology is beneficial essentially to organizations, however I am certain that the role of the human resource can actually not be eliminated. Therefore, in order to remain relevant in the job market, I think that I would like to work in areas that have low risks in terms of being affected by the robotic technology. For instance I believe that managers cannot be replaced with robots. Also there is need for me to advance my skills in the knowledge of robotics. This will assist me to adapt to the future changes that will be brought about by the introduction of this particular technology. Conclusion This particular report has presented various issues concerning the future of robotics. In deed on the basis of the findings presented by the report, robotics has positive implications essentially for organizations as opposed to individuals. The human resource faces the most impending challenge which is unemployment. This is because robots are taking up the work performed by employees. This report however takes note of the fact that there is need for individuals and also organizations to learn to adopt and work in synergy with this particular technology. Government should also implement policies that can aid effective integration of robotics in future workplaces. References Breazeal, C 2003, Toward sociable robots , Robotics and Autonomous systems, 42(2003), 167-175. Butler , D , Holloway, L, Bear, C. The impact of technological change in dairy farming: robotic milking systems and the changing role of the stockperson. Research and Development Journal, 173. Dwivedi, Y 2011, Information Systems Theory: Explaining and Predicting Our Digital Society, Springer Science & Business Media . Eckberg, E, 1998, The Future of robotics can be ours, AORN journal,67 (5), p 1018-1023. Fong , T, Kunz, C, Hiatt, L and Bugajska, M. (2006)..The Human-Robot Interaction Operating System. NASA Ames Research Center. Groom, V and Nass, C 2007, Can robots be teammates?: Benchmarks in human–robot teams, Psychological Benchmarks of Human-Robot Interaction, pp. 483-500(18). Hunt , D, 1983, Industrial Robotics Handbook, Industrial Press. Hopey, M, 2008, Robotic Automation in Industrial Manufacturing, Design News. Islam, R 1994, Social Dimensions of Economic Reforms in Asia, International Labour Organization. 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Thomopoulos, N 2013, Assembly Line Planning and Control, Springer Science & Business Media. The Economist 2014, The future of jobs, Retrieved on September 8th 2014, From http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21594264-previous-technological-innovation-has-always-delivered-more-long-run-employment-not-less Read More