The present times have seen an exponential increase in the research and development in the field of robotics and automation technology. According to reports by the international standard of robotics, it is said that robots are expected to displace 20 million human workers by the end of 2030. Over time, we have seen the inclusion of robots in various manufacturing sectors, and it is obvious that this will continue to increase in other sectors as well.
Researchers have tracked the development of the field of information technology in terms of six layers: The first one came into existence with the manufacturing of semiconductor microprocessors, which helped the industry in many ways but were inaccessible to the public. The second layer developed when the advancements in microprocessor technology became accessible to everyone through innovations like Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows. The third layer came with the development of the internet and Google and Yahoo, which essentially connected every person with access to an internet connection and a computer. The next layer was added on by the advent of social media platforms like Facebook, which made it possible for people to interact with one another irrespective of their geographical location. The fifth layer materialized when the internet became the medium of commerce for services like Uber and Airbnb. The sixth layer will be realized when machines will provide the end service, like drone delivery and autonomous vehicles. This article looks at how this sixth layer, autonomous machines, is changing the way industries work.
Automation in construction practices
The construction sector is one such sector that involves repetitive, precise, and time-sensitive tasks. The field of construction has seen the introduction of autonomous robots in recent times. Startups like Canvas, Built Robotics, and existing big players like Caterpillar and Komatsu are investing in automating construction equipment like bulldozers and excavators. These innovations have helped decrease construction times by carrying out the work off-hours without any human intervention, and the humans continue the work the next day during regular work hours. As a testament to the increasing adoption of autonomous robots in the construction industry, in a 2017 study, 12% of surveyed construction companies said they are just starting to implement robotics. Another 4% said they were using these technologies across all their projects.
Subsequently, robotics has done some essential transformations by targeting some key factors in the construction domain. These are productivity, accuracy, reduced errors, and cost efficiency. Also, keeping safety standards in mind, electric-powered robots in the industry typically work faster in comparison with the skilled labor force, without compromising on accuracy. With faster and more accurate robots, net production is likely to increase, which, in turn, helps with monetary profits in this sector. The skilled labor shortage has been affecting this industry for a long time. As of Q3 2020, 83% of U.S. contractors reported having difficulty finding a skilled workforce. The inclusion of highly efficient robots provides an ultimate solution to this problem as well.
This sector being infamously hazardous — it is responsible for more than one-fifth of workplace fatalities in the U.S. in 2017 — calls for immediate measures of safety. The inclusion of robotics will prove to be the best solution for this problem by significantly reducing the human deaths caused by doing some of the extreme and most dangerous parts of work.
The construction sector is different now than it was in the previous decade. This sector proves to be a great market for upcoming robotic technology, involving artificial intelligence, IoT-enabled remote sensing equipment, and machine learning.
Transporting goods faster with automation
The logistics and transportation sector still involves a lot of manual work. As per the data, over 80% of autonomous vehicles are managed and operated manually. This opens up a huge pool of opportunities involving the advancements in its operations by the inclusion of robotics. Many automotive manufacturers have started gravitating toward investing in autonomous vehicles. Companies like Google, Tesla, and, recently, Toyota have developed vehicles with autonomous capabilities ranging from simple automatic lane changing to complete driverless operations. These changes to vehicles and their large-scale adaptation are projected to lead to perfectly coordinated traffic, among other benefits.
Apart from small consumer vehicles, large commercial vehicles are headed toward complete automation, with trucks being at the forefront of this change. To say that these changes will displace truckers is to read into the changes inappropriately. Truck drivers will still be required to oversee maintenance, last-mile delivery, and other duties. Moreover, increasing the integration of technology with decreasing workload in the job profile of a trucker will likely attract the younger population to consider it as a viable career path.
Manufacturing and automation: the shortcut for faster production
The most immediate effect of increased automation is felt in the manufacturing sector, so much so that the application of AI and machine learning has prompted the coining of a new Industrial Revolution: The new Industry 4.0 is a technological revolution with smart machines and sensors that would continually monitor and optimize every aspect of the manufacturing process with little to no human intervention. This would ultimately lead to much higher efficiency, speed of production, and sustainability in manufacturing. Apart from affecting the manufacturing process itself, automation has enabled improved safety standards by the means of automated responses to potentially hazardous situations. For starters, autonomous robots with mobility can coordinate among themselves, which reduces the possibility of collisions. As another example, sensors can continuously monitor the environment and initiate appropriate actions when, say, carbon monoxide levels exceed safety limits.
Improved safety practices
The introduction of autonomous entities into the manufacturing space has inadvertently led many to rethink the meaning of the word “safety.” As the common concern goes “who is policing the police,” the scrutiny of the safety of the AI algorithms has become an increasingly difficult task. This will most certainly lead to the formulation of new safety standards that will encapsulate various new parameters by which the safety implications of the new autonomous entities will be judged.
Educating the younger generation for an autonomous future
Increasing technological complexity will lead to the need for a skilled workforce that is adequately equipped to manage and troubleshoot the new equipment. Moreover, the successful implementation of these technologies and their positive influence on outcomes will create more incentives for companies to invest in people equipped to develop these technologies further. This will change the way technical education is structured. The course content will adapt to the latest advancements in technology as well as the employment demands of the industry. As observed, increasing emphasis will be placed on basic STEM skills, computer programming, higher-order thinking skills, problem-solving, and creativity. This ensures that the coming generation is well trained for the future with autonomous machines.