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A World Without Robots

January 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Even though there is no need denying the fact that robots are now integral parts of our lives, it is also important to realize that there was a time and period when there was nothing like a robot and people lived their lives. Therefore, it will be a nice idea to imagine for a minute a world without the millions of robots that we have today in various industries and corporations working round the clock.

In such a world like it was in the time gone past, one of the most obvious changes that will be noticed will be that workers and laborers will erupt in joy and celebrations since they will get their jobs back. In fact some of them will celebrate the ‘End of Robot Day’ with so much excitement and energy in the air. The reason for this is quite simple and is related to the fact that not a few workers have lost their jobs to these cold and impassionate objects of technology that work based on commands and programs. Therefore, a world without robots is one that many workers will be very pleased with. This is especially true for nations like China, South Korea and Japan where robots contibute actively to the productivity of many industriess.

A world without robots will also mean that there will be nothing like exploring the depths of the oceans or the distant reaches of outer space. The reasons for these are quite clear. One is the fact that the inhospitable depths of the oceans can only be explored by robots at the moments and the same thing applies to the exploration of other planets like Mars where robotic rovers scan the surface for signs of life. A world without robots will also mean that there will be nothing like precision-guided cruise missiles or drones, and you can guess the implications of that.

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Studying Robotics

January 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment

It has often been said that no knowledge is wasted. Therefore, if you have a fascination with robots or automated objects, then you may decide to study robotics. It is a very interesting area of discipline and one in which you will be able to make good use your mental faculty, especially in terms of creativity. Apart from that, the pay that you will get as an expert in robotics is also quite encouraging especially if you finished from prestigious institutions such as MIT, Yale or Harvard.

However, it is one to like robots; it is an entirely different ball game to study robotics. To study robotics, you must have the right aptitude and fervor for calculation and drawing. Therefore, if you nurse a great hatred or fear for subjects like maths, statistics, physics and technical drawing, then you can as well forget about becoming a specialist of robots. these subjects are essential and very important if you want to make a career out of studying robots. Once you have nice grades in the subjects and you pass your SAT with flying colors, then you can dream of developing the next great thing in the robot industry.

However, as a student that is studying robotics, you need to fortify yourself with some qualities that will prove useful. One thing is that you really need to be persevering and patient as an undergraduate and even after you graduate. This is because of the fact that there are some experiments and designs that you must carry out times without number before you get the desired results. At such moments, it can be very tempting to become dejected and frustrated but when you remember that nothing good comes easy, then you will cheer up and design your own lunar rover. At the end of the day when you become a roboticist, you will discover that it was worth the trouble.

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Robotics: The Next Frontier

January 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

It is not uncommon for you to see people in this century gather round and have very interesting discussions on the impact and effects of science and technology on our lives. And without a doubt, science and technology have really shaped our lives in many ways, some of which we do not even know. Of the many influences that science has brought on us, one of the most exotic is that of the science of robotics. Even though many will want to think that robotics is a new science, it is important to stress the fact that the science of robotics have been with us for centuries right before the times of Leonardo da Vinci, the great Italian scientist who also made valuable contributions to robotics.

It is quite interesting to know that robots have found more uses and applications in the 21st century more than any other period in human history. Nowadays, it is not a new thing to see robots in the hospitals where they are used to assist in surgical procedures. As a matter of fact, some surgical procedures are carried out by a robot, under the control and guidance of a surgeon. In fact, this technique has transformed into a bigger thing in what is now known as telemedicine. Telemedicine is a relatively new concept in which a doctor is able to treat patients over long distances using agents of technology such as robots.

If you think that not impressive enough, then that is perhaps because of the fact that you have never thought of the fact that robots can also be responsible for saving your life. Well, the fact is that robots are used by the military forces of various nations in offensive and defensive capacities. Apart from these uses, robots have found many other uses and it is no wonder that it has been described as the next frontier.

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Are Robots Taking Jobs Away from Humans?

January 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The Obama administration has long been promising new green jobs for more workers, but it also appears that some of these workers are not actually going to be humans, but instead they are going to be robots. There are some new designs in robotic engineering that are being encouraged in alliances that exist between leaders in the industry such as Reis Robotics and Dow Corning Corporation, and the result of these new design and these alliances could create a stiff amount of competition between machine and man when it comes to assembly jobs.

Are Robots Taking Jobs Away from Humans?

This trend is not going to be limited to just corporate entities. There are a number of test projects that are employing robots for on-site operations based on Federal funding, such as the kinetic hydro-power facilities at Tulane University. Robots are beginning to perform a wide variety of duties which are going to cut down on production costs, but they may also unfortunately limit or eliminate some jobs that could potentially have gone to workers of the human persuasion.

Dow Corning is beginning to employ robots in order to produce solar cells that are silicon based and lower cost as an effort to make all of their products more competitive. Their goal is to greatly automate the assembly process and the production process for their products. These tactics are considered to be judicious in order to keep their investment in the alternative energy industry a profitable one, in order to create new jobs and to encourage the future of development.

The general management behind Reis Robotics, who is Doctor Michael Wenzel, has explained that the company is confident that proven robotics solutions are going to help the solar industry to reach a point of grid parity along with achieving lower production costs and an economy of scale.

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Evolution of the Man-Machine

January 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment

For those of you that are ardent lovers of science fiction, especially those futuristic novels that were written by the likes of Isaac Asimov, it is normal for you to have this feeling that many of the things that you are reading in the sci-fi novels or watching in the films are no longer dreams but what is actually happening in the real life. This is one of the most amazing things about the 21st century. Technology is moving at a rate that even man cannot predict, or may not be able to control in the nearest future. One of the most important inventions in recent times is the robot, an automated machine or what many will simply call the bot.

Robots are becoming more important and relevant by the day; they are being used in various stages of decision-making and some other aspects of our lives. If you doubt this, then you are under-estimating the power and reach of technology or you are simply not aware of the many applications of the robots. They have been demonstrated to be so useful that some analysts have referred to the robots as a kind of ‘man-machine’. All you need is just take a look at the various industries and mega-corporations of the world and you will see that it is not too difficult to see the fingerprints of the bots everywhere.

Some of the areas where robots have been employed include healthcare, warfare, deep-sea exploration, engineering, mining, oil exploration, geography and the exploration of the outer space. Apart from these sophisticated explorations, it is heartwarming to know that there are some other domestic uses of the robots, and these include taking care of the elderly, vacuum cleaning the home, mowing the lawn, washing the dishes and some other house chores. Without any doubt, the man-machine has really evolved.

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Disadvantages of Using Robots

January 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Even though it is an accepted fact that this age is one that can be described as one of science and technology, it is also important to know that these forces have their own advantages coupled with the disadvantages. One of the most widespread uses of science and technology is in that of the area of robotics. Nowadays, robots are used in very many areas and some of these include medicine, oceanography, military activities, mining, space exploration and car assembling.

Although there is absolutely no point in denying the usefulness of the robots, it is also important to know that there are disadvantages. Without much ado, these disadvantages will be discussed in the following sections. The first of the numerous disadvantages have to do with the financial investments that must be made in the research and development of robots. In some of the cases, these robots cost millions of dollars to build and even in some cases, as the lunar rovers and those robots used on the planets like Mars, the cost can easily run into billions of dollars. Not surprisingly, not a few analysts have condemned the excessive amounts of money that must be pumped into the development of robots and argue that the funds could be used to solve problems on right here on earth, and some of these include poverty, unemployment and diseases.

Apart from the prohibitively high cost of designing and developing robots, another very pressing disadvantage is the fact that they lead to unemployment. For instance in various automobile industries all over the world where robots are been used for various manufacturing processes, this usually means that many workers will have to be laid off, thus increasing the level of unemployment. There is no need stressing the fact that unemployment is very inimical to the economy as this is quite obvious.

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Uses of Robots in the Military

January 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Apart from the fact that the 21st century happens to be the most sophisticated in the history of humankind in terms of science and technology, it is important to know that it is also one that is always on the verge of a nuclear holocaust with nations threatening one another with annihilation and total destruction. As at the time of writing this, the number of conflicts and wars all over the globe are just too numerous. The United States of America alone is engaged in a very expensive and bloody war with two different countries –Iraq and Afghanistan. When you coupled that with the fact that the threat of terrorism is one that grows by the minute, then you will understand why many nations set aside billions for security and defense alone.

In other to leave no stone unturned in terms of defensive capabilities, not a few governments have turned to science and technology to protect them from the aggression of the enemy and also boost their offensive capability. The result of this is a vastly destructive and sophisticated military where you can find the most advanced stealth fighters, bombers, nuclear submarines, bombs and robots. Yes, robots are also very important in the military of today and they have found numerous uses.

In most cases, robots are used in the military for tasks that are considered too dangerous or risky for humans to carry out. These include the detonation of explosives such as bombs and mines. Robots are also used for surveillance of the enemy territory, and in this case, they have flying capabilities and are called drones. These drones are also used to fire cruise missiles (which are also robots in a sense) to enemy targets. As a result of the impressive success associated with the use of robots, not a few nations are considering building a robot army in future.

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Benefits of the Machine Assembly Line

January 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

In the late 1800s, many companies made the switch from assembly lines manned by hundreds of workers to a mass production assembly line that contains a combination of human effort and machinery. While many people are against this switch in the assembly line, there are a number of great benefits that the mass production assembly line has brought to businesses. Here is a look at the benefits that come with mass production assembly lines.

Less Human Error. A lot of times on an assembly line there were human errors that occurred. For every human error, that resulted in lost revenue for the company. With the addiction of an assembly line that is controlled by machines, the risk for human error is reduced greatly. Less human error means higher productivity and increased revenues for the company.

Increased Productivity. When assembly lines were used it required that one human had to control everything. They had to fetch the piece of equipment, get their tools and conduct whatever business they had on the assembly line. With the machine employed assembly line, the pieces of the product can be retrieved quickly and in a timely fashion. This increases productivity and allows more products to be produced in greater amounts.

Consistency. On the human assembly line there was a tendency for some products to look different than others. This was because humans cannot produce the same product the same way all the time. When machines were introduced to the assembly line, they allowed companies to produce identical products all the time because the machines could recreate their motions time after time.

Increased Safety. A lot of assembly lines had workers working in unsafe conditions. With the introduction of the machine assembly line this took workers back a distance and allowed them to work in safer work conditions.

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Space Exploration and Robots

January 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Right from the dawn of time, man has been dazzled by the prospect of traveling to the stars, crossing from one galaxy to the other and greeting neighbors in other solar systems. Although much of these still exists in our imagination, it is a thing of joy and excitement that man has made very impressive progress in space exploration. Owing to the centuries of tireless pursuit of science and technology by the men and women of knowledge, we were able to travel to the outer space with the launching of the Soviet cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, the first man ever in space. As if that was not grand enough, the Americans were to shatter the Russian record by sending the trio of Neil Armstrong, Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon in 1969.

After these epic adventures, it is interesting to know that the march of scientific progress and technological advancement has continued unhindered and as a matter of fact, man has been able to send crafts to places as far as Pluto and we have telescopes like the famed Hubble Telescope which peer constantly into the intimidating vastness of the Universe, in addition to other extraterrestrial probes.

However, as impressive as these achievements are, it is important to mention that the real champions have been unsung most of the time. Well, these unsung but quiet heroes are not the gravity-defying astronauts but the humble robots. There is virtually no space mission that was not executed without the aid of a robot. Robots have proven to be very useful to space exploration that agencies like NASA and various governments all over the globe do not think twice before pumping billions of dollars in their research and development. Therefore, the next time you are enjoying the amazing pictures of Mars sent by a lunar rover, remember the humble robot that does all the work under the scorching sun of Mars.

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Impact of Robots on World Economy

January 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Some hundreds of years ago, the word ‘robot’ was not even in existence not to talk of its being discussed extensively. This is understandable considering the fact that robots were not as sophisticated and advanced as they are today, thus they did not feature much on the global scene. However, this is the 21st century and not a little has changed, a lot has been transformed. Science has become the king while technology is the queen and it seems that the robot is the sole heir to the throne. Yes, the tiny robot is to be never under-estimated, you do that at your own peril. This is a lesson that many workers have learnt in a very hard way.

Because of the fact that robots are now used in various areas and spheres of life, it is expected that they will have one effect or the other on the economies of nations in particular and the globe in general. This is particularly important for countries of Western Europe, the United States of America and the highly advanced Asian states of Japan, China and South Korea. Like fire, the effects of robots on the global economy has been both positive and negative.

This will be explained in the following lines. For example, in the technologically superior nations that have been mentioned in the earlier part of this article, robots have contributed positively in many ways to the development and growth of the economy. This is because through the use of robots, especially by the automobile industry, the productivity of each industry has been increased thus promoting exports of vehicles to other parts of the world. This boosts the economy by bringing in revenue in the tune of millions of dollars. On the other hand, widespread use of robots translates to the fact that some workers must be laid off thus increasing the level of unemployment, which is undoubtedly negative to the economy.

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