Robots at the workplace - Assignment Example

Robots in the Workplace There is little question that robots have fundamentally changed the modern workplace. Everything from the highly complex automobile assembly robots found to the Roomba vacuuming robot designed to sweep up have had an impact on the workplace. The role of robots has extended to literally thousands of different work environments. According Markoff (2010) the use of robots in the medical environment by having robots controlled by specialists, perform emergency surgeries has brought better care to those who need it.

The reasoning behind why we are seeing a significant growth in the quantity of robots in the work environment is largely owing to decreased costs and more tech savvy people entering the workplace. One of the main concerns with the growing uptake of robots in the workforce could be the gradual decrease in workforce skills, insofar as if robots are performing vital functions perhaps fewer humans will gain the knowledge to perform these functions as well. For example, if robots handle more surgeries perhaps fewer humans will learn how to perform these specific surgeries as well.

The question of what sort of robots and what sort of functions they will perform in the office is a tricky issue insofar as it depends on what sort of work environment is in question. In many circumstances, robots simply supplement the work of their human operators. Rohrer (2010) highlighted that underwater Remote Operated Vehicles (ROV’s) played a pivotal role in helping solve the BP Oil spill crisis. These ROV’s incorporated a great deal of robotic technologies however it is the case that the vehicles still needed a highly trained human operator.

In this regard one could speculate that robots will help supplement human activities in the workplace. Moreover some robotic technologies will help replace les crucial human activities such as cleaning responsibilities. Everything from self cleaning toilets and Romba vacuuming machines will help not only provide for a cleaner work environment but a more cost effective work environment. A number of human robot interactions issues will arise in the coming years principally would be a possible growing animosity between humans and robots.

Fuller (2006) noted that even in automobile assembly in nations with low wages such as Thailand many production facilities choose to utilize robots owing to increasing safety concerns. Hypothetically, this ‘crowding out’ of humans from the workforce might have real negative implications. On the other side of the coin robots can significantly improve the working conditions of some peoples insofar as robots designed to enter disaster zones could theoretically reduce the risk to humans. In 2020 there will likely be a lot of new robots in the work environment.

I expect that robots will have a significant impact on transportation. For example it could be that the technology used in Unmanned Arial Vehicles (UAV’s) could be transformed from military applications to civilian applications. So a single pilot could oversee the flights of dozens of airliners from an office space. Building on this point one could speculate that this technology will be incorporated into entire supply chain and distribution networks. When customers purchase an item online, a robot could go fetch it from a warehouse inventory and bring it to the back of an unmanned truck.

The truck would then drive itself to a port where a robotic crane would pick up the container and load it onto an unmanned freighter and so on. In the year 2040 according to Moravec (2009) robotic intelligence will rival that of human intelligence. At this point one could postulate that there will be useful autonomous robots that will be able to not only supplement human activities in the workplace but replace it altogether. This ‘learning’ artificial intelligence will also help make great strides in human understanding of our natural environment and provide improvements on our work environment.

There is little question that with these new robots at our disposal there will be tremendous possibilities for people of the future. One could state that these robots if used properly could make our lives in the workplace a lot easier. References Fuller, T. (April 11th 2011) The Workplace: Can people take place of Robots? NY Times. [online] Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/11/business/worldbusiness/11iht-workcol12.html Accessed on January 22nd 2011. Markoff, J. (Sept. 4th 2010) Smarter Than You Think: The Boss is Robotic, and Rolling Up Behind You.

The New York Times. [online] Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/science/05robots.html Accessed on Jan. 22nd 2011. Moravec, H (March 23rd 2009) Rise of the Robots—The Future of Artificial Intelligence. Scientific American. [online] Available at http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=rise-of-the-robots Accessed on January 22nd 2011. Rohrer, F (Aug. 3rd 2010) What Does it Take to Control a Robot Claw. BBC [online] Available http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10846725 Accessed on January 22nd 2011.