If you have been around long enough, you may have heard that robots are taking over in many fields where people once worked.
Robots have been put to work in numerous industries and have served many tasks efficiently. Many people have a negative opinion of artificial intelligence because they fear that robots will replace humans in many fields.
On the contrary, they are here to help with some of the dangerous and the mundane tasks that people shouldn’t be doing.
A robot is much better at performing repetitive tasks even in harsh conditions. This frees people from such burdens.
Here are some of the reasons why robots are important.
8 Reasons Why Robots Are Important Today
There are plethora of tasks for which robots are important to humans. Here are some of them
1. Application In Industries
Courtesy: Inddist.com
People get very tired of repetitive tasks like working in a production line.
The quality of work done usually varies and the number of hours worked is limited. Robots, however, have no problem with repetition.
Robots are used in production lines in industries around the world to make the work people do much easier. Robots are used in vehicle assembly lines and they have a consistent output.
In some of Amazon’s warehouses, robots work alongside people with a goal of fulfilling customers’ orders.
The fellowship of human and machine working together autonomously has been brought about by advancements in robotics.
2. Security Applications
Robots are vital for security.
Some have been developed for the military to help counter some of the challenges that soldiers face in the field. This has helped reduced casualties and tipped the scales of combat.
Robots such as drones are used for surveillance purposes and information gathering on potential threats. They can do this stealthily in scenarios where sending a human operator would be dangerous.
Aside from the military applications, the police also have used drones before to monitor certain areas of interest in times of crisis.
Robots used for security save lives. Some are used to detonate bombs in cases where a human bomb expert would have been required to.
3. Robots Are Used For Research
Courtesy: Nasa.gov
On the 26th of November, 2011, the Curiosity Rover was launched to mars. It carried an array of complex equipment that would be used to study the red planet and relay the information back to earth.
The amount of data and still images collected has been useful in understanding the planet. This is one of the cases where robots have been used for research.
Robots can be equipped with many different devices that can be used to collect data in places that are hard to reach or even inhospitable for humans; like the depths of the oceans.
A robot can be deployed to do research in a radioactive area and wouldn’t suffer significant damage.
4. Robots Are Used In The Field Of Medicine
Courtesy: Corindus
Robots do not only save lives in combat. Researchers have developed robots that are used in operation rooms and work alongside surgeons.
These medical robots can be used to perform complex surgeries; and here’s the best part, the doctor doesn’t even have to be in the same location as the patient during the surgery.
This is known as telesurgery and is a growing field in modern medicine.
Robots are important in medicine because they allow doctors to perform complex procedures much more easily than it would be if done the conventional way.
5. Robots Are Precise Machines
A properly calibrated robot with the right commands can carry out tasks with more efficiency than a person.
By making use of motors and actuators, robots can make very fine movements and work on tasks that require a high level of precision such as soldering small components onto a motherboard.
There’s a lot of importance attached to the need for accuracy in areas such as manufacturing and measurement and robots can fulfill this need.
They are able to account for most of the errors they encounter and readjust themselves.
6. Robots Can Work Autonomously
A robot that has been programmed to perform a certain task is able to complete its objectives as long as it receives the necessary inputs.
For example, robots used in industries are able to perform assembly line functions without having to be directly controlled by a person.
Additionally, the robot can work continuously without the need to be constantly monitored. This is one aspect that has encouraged many industries to adopt robotics.
7. Agricultural Applications
Courtesy: Naio Technologies
For thousands of years, agriculture has been conducted by people using simple tools. However, recent developments have seen the introduction of agricultural robots.
These are autonomous machines that are able to navigate farms and perform some roles that farmers do like spraying chemicals, tending to the crops and even help during harvesting.
Companies like Naio Technologies have developed robots that are very helpful in farms.
They take care of doing the heavy lifting and the farmers are left with handling other simpler but necessary jobs.
Agriculture is a key world sector and the fact that there are robots that serve in it is a testament to the potential of robotics.
8. Robots Can Be Used At Home
Kuri Robot [Image Courtesy: Engadget]
Household bots such as Kuri, manufactured by Mayfield Robotics have become popular among people and have received a lot of support from buyers.
Kuri is able to move on its own and avoid obstacles with the help of onboard sensors and a high definition camera.
Other robots exist that perform simple house chores like cleaning.
Conclusion
As we have just seen, robots have a wide field of application. There plenty more reason to consider why robots are important to us.
Some can perform simple tasks in our homes and others work in harsh conditions on a different planet!
However, in both these cases, we see applications in areas where not having a robot would be difficult.
Humanity has survived without robots for millennia, but they are here now and with all they have to offer, I think they are very important.
Seeing what they have accomplished in a short span of time is a testament to this.
Robots will not take over human jobs or make human work obsolete. They will just save us from the mundane tasks so that we as humans can focus on more important things like social issues.
As the global human development index improves thanks to robots, we can implement high level concepts like universal basic income or universal minimum wage into our economical and social systems.
Andrew White is the founder of TechGearoid, a leading technology review & information website that is designed to help consumers make better decisions when it comes to their IT purchases. As a specialist tech writer (nerd) with over 10 years of experience, he enjoys writing about everything there is to do with modern technology & the newest market innovations. When he isn’t providing value for his readers, he’s usually drinking coffee or at the beach. Andrew lives in Sydney, Australia with his wife and family.