Introduction
There is uncertainty about the future of technology in the changing world. Researchers and scientists have developed new inventions and ideas that considerably impact people’s lives. The advancement of robotic technology has facilitated doing many things concurrently without the need for human presence. Presently, people and robots continue to interact to the extent that humans need technology more to function. The new technology has continued to make work easier and improve quality of life. However, there seems to be a bleak future because of the meteoric rise in the use of this technology. Industrial robotics is used in the manufacturing processes of warehouses like Best Buy and Amazon. This paper is a research on the pros and cons of robotics technology in the workplace. Five scholarly research articles are used to explore this topic. The research paper discusses different ways in which the development of robotic technology has changed the lives of people in the workplace, both positively and negatively. Although robotics technology has proved to be very useful to human beings, it might have negative consequences in the workplace.
Various Careers that Involve Working with Robotics
Some jobs involve working with robotics, such as surgical technologists, welders, industrial painters, computer programmers, robotics technicians, farmers, mechanical engineers, and construction managers. The use of robotic technology in the mentioned careers has made the disciplines some of the most lucrative in the labor market (Bordot 122). The United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics data has classified the jobs as some of the most dangerous, which has gained immensely because of the growth and development of robotics technology. The careers’ job growth and salary increment have made them the best promising in contemporary society. For example, the job growth for construction managers is approximated to be 11 percent. In addition, the job growth for mechanical engineers is also estimated to be about 7 percent (Bordot 120). Therefore, the high potential for these jobs or careers has seen the increased need for robotics technology (Etzioni 258). Robotics has continued to play an immense role in influencing the workforce in numerous sectors of the economy.
The Manufacturing Sector
The impact of robotics technology is intensely felt in many sectors of the economy, particularly those that involve complex tasks and are dangerous to handle. For instance, most areas where human beings could be injured have required using robots. The manufacturing sector is one area where people are most vulnerable because of the risks that come with performing the jobs (Etzioni 257). Therefore, advanced automation makes sure that work is cleaner and safer for human beings. In addition, robotics also facilitates more advanced technology that is safer for humans, Robotics is a technology that has played an immense role in trucking and fire rescue in many parts of the world, such as the United States. In this case, various self-driving automobiles have come because of the use of robotic technology. In the healthcare system, robotics has also increased tremendously, leading to better health outcomes.
The Healthcare Sector
The healthcare sector is one of the leading areas that have made immense progress because of robotics. The social robot has been instrumental in revolutionizing the health sector by enhancing the delivery of services to patients. Although the social robot is rare, it has contributed immensely in all areas it has been found. Social robotics have played a leading role in greeting patients when nursing and other healthcare professionals find it hard to do so because of underlying dangers such as contagious diseases. In many cases, most robotics are more practical and less humanoid, ensuring more patient interactions (Beno 16). The COVID-19 pandemic presented an opportunity where nursing professionals and other frontline workforce needed to protect themselves from the spread of the virus. In addition, robotics provided treatment and tests that people required. Healthcare teams utilized robotics technology to solve the issue of less human interaction needed during the epidemic. Robotics have played roles, including testing for COVID-19, delivering PPEs to hospital staff and patients, and disinfecting environments. Therefore, robotics reduced the risks of handling dangerous materials in contact with infected patients during the corona epidemic.
The Robotics Operator
The robotics operator is another exciting career in the field, as new technology requires personnel to perform the job. In this case, humans cannot do many things as efficiently as robots. Therefore, someone needs to operate the robots so that the various tasks can be accomplished. The various robotics tasks involve the physical handling of the robots and overseeing their relevant operations to ensure that they continue to operate as required. Most robots work 24 hours daily and need people to work in shifts to operate efficiently and effectively (Bordot 119). If anything goes wrong in the robotics operations, the operator will have the opportunity to contact the right person to handle issues such as maintenance or power. Although robotics technology has led to a reduction of jobs, the new concept has also led to the creation of new employment opportunities. In addition, robotics technology entails handling dangerous and dirty work by machines, which creates an opportunity for people to become creative and innovative, leading to an enhanced world because of the new technology.
The Pros and Cons of Having Robotic Technology in the Workplace
Cost-Effectiveness
Robots are more cost-effective than human beings in the workplace, which makes them preferable. In this case, robots are cheaper than employing human beings who may not handle what the new technology is capable of doing. The cost of installing the technology in the workplace has decreased. Therefore, it demonstrates that having technology in the workplace could be cheaper than employing the workforce (Beno 17). CNBC media formerly Consumer News Business Channel once referred to technology as the new low-cost worker that every company dreamed of to lower operating costs. The robotics industry has also promoted productivity gains where there are few workers but more results. Economically, and in particular industries, it has become cheaper to use robotics technology concerning human labor. The global manufacturing scale and its shifting economics have preferred using robots to human labor because of the savings involved. Robots have continued to lower total labor costs across many industries globally.
Robots in Difficult Research Activities
Robots are more capable than humans because they can handle some of the most challenging tasks in research. These machines are more active than people because they do not get tired and can work continuously for many hours. Therefore, the collaboration between people and robot technology has helped to lower cases of absenteeism in the workplace. In many cases, the pace of human beings does not increase, and new technology is helping people to work speedily on various tasks (Bordot 116). Although robotics technology has been applied in multiple areas, they have become the best source of alleviating complex tasks that are not friendly to human beings. In addition, robots have become the perfect way of completing missions that are hazardous for people to undertake. The flexibility of robotics in working in environments where human beings cannot make them the most ideal in the present society. By their strength and resilience, robots can access anywhere in the world, such as ocean depth and extreme hot and cold temperatures where people cannot. Therefore, they can go anywhere and do anything that humans cannot.
Robots are More Precise and Accurate
Robots have more precision when compared to ordinary workers because the technology does not shake or tremble as people do. In addition, robots have small moving parts that are instrumental in accurately performing various roles. In this case, human beings are not consistent with their work and may produce severe flaws if unchecked. The University of California is one institution that has adopted robotics technology in its pharmacy, which is doing better than humans. Therefore, this technology helps safeguard against human accidents that have become synonymous with many workplaces (Bordot 123). Most accidents happen in factories because of mistakes caused by people, and robots are good at avoiding such flaws. When accidents happen in factories, people are generally in charge and cannot avoid such dangers. In many cases, people get hurt anytime there is an accident in a factory or other places of work. However, robots seem to avoid accident scenarios whenever they are in charge of some job operations.
Robots Ensure Safety
Robotics technology can be used anywhere when the safety of people is at risk because of the underlying working conditions (Etzioni 261). For example, recent space exploration has used robotics sent to collect helpful information that could be used in further research activities. A robotic spacecraft has continued to perform various tasks in space exploration, which was a burdensome activity for human beings. The robot spacecraft can also collect and relay accurate real-time information compared to human labor. For example, the spacecraft can relay real-time photographic images to its earth communication facilities.
Robots Use in Chemical and Nuclear Plants
Another breakthrough for robotics is their use in the chemical industries, such as in nuclear plants. In this case, the machines are constantly used to clear chemical spills that would have otherwise posed a considerable threat to the health of human workers (Smids et al. 509). Therefore, the hazardous exposure of human beings to harmful chemicals has been reduced significantly with the increased use of robotics technology. Thus, robots have played a leading role in saving more lives that would have otherwise been exposed to dangerous emissions from nuclear and other chemical industries (Papadopoulos 1). Robots are most preferred in hazardous places such as a radioactive environment where the lives of human beings could be at significant risk. The quality of work that involves robots in such environments cannot be matched with any other. Robots can minimize human effort in some of the most challenging and dangerous tasks, such as in nuclear power plants. Safety has become one of the most considered elements in any industrial work, such as that involving radioactivity which is the lead cause of cancer in human beings.
Robots are Quicker than Human Beings
Robots are a quick and consistent affair against what humans can provide. Therefore, robots are not distracted from their core duties and do not need to take breaks like humans. In addition, robots do not need holidays or vacations synonymous with human beings (Etzioni 258). If the technology is timed to work for 12 hours nonstop, that is precisely what it will do, unlike the normal labor that might request to leave an hour earlier than scheduled. The fact that they are more reliable than human beings ensures that they do not miss any work as opposed to employees who fail to show up whenever required. Human labor is unreliable and tends to disappoint from time to time.
Enhanced Quality Assurance
Using robotics ensures enhanced quality assurance as the machines can withstand repetitive work for a long. Very few workers like doing repetitive roles because, after a particular time, their concentration levels seem to drop significantly. Therefore, such people cannot remain vigilant for a long time as robots do (Etzioni 255). Lack of such concentration could seriously affect the business or lead to staff injury, which is why the use of robots has become very famous today. Automated robots reduce the dangers because the machines accurately produce and check items to ensure they meet the required standards without fail. When companies continuously produce quality products, they increase their business opportunities leading to further expansion.
The Technology Promotes Unemployment
While robots have been known to enhance efficiency in the workplace, they have also continued to play a leading role in creating more unemployment. In this case, there are many instances that human labor has not been required in manufacturing firms and other factories. The increased use of robotics has been equated to technological unemployment because of the number of job losses witnessed (Bordot 117). The media and literature on labor economics demonstrate that the job market has a gloomy picture because of the use of robots. Such technical progress has been known to be job-destructive because of the number of losses recorded. The use of robotics and AI has been associated with making companies more efficient in how they use their labor but has continued to render many people jobless. There is empirical evidence that AI and the use of robots have continued to increase the rate of unemployment worldwide.
The Technology Cannot Handle Unexpected Situations
Although robots can handle the tasks that they have been programmed to perform, they cannot handle some situations which are not expected. Therefore, in case of any emergency, such as a fire outbreak, robots cannot handle the situation because it would be beyond their scope. Although human beings work beyond their expectations, robots have pre-determined results that they are meant to deliver (Papadopoulos 1). Therefore, they cannot work beyond what they are supposed to do and only live up to their expectations. A robot only operates like a computer and cannot go beyond its scope of work. In this case, robotics technology involves carrying out its mandate according to the provided instructions in the program. Thus, technology can only live up to its expectations and nothing more. That is why this form of technology will not be able to respond to disasters or emergencies because it has not been prescribed.
Human Labor and Training Still Needed
Robotic technology still requires human labor because machines need people to operate them. In most cases, the people used to operate the machines require advanced training that could prove very costly to most firms. Although investing in robotics is seen as a cost-effective measure to reduce paying salaries and wages to workers, it increases other costs, such as training the employees who are meant to handle the new technology (Etzioni 256). Therefore, it is expensive to invest in robots that not all companies can afford. Overall, the use of robotics is very costly to companies because the machines require people for supervision and monitoring. Such people will not just be ordinary; they need advanced training and refresher courses on handling advanced technologies. Even when robots have been programmed to perform various tasks, they cannot do everything, and they require the assistance of human beings. Some tasks need to be completed by human labor even after the robots have started the work.
Machines Are not as Intelligent as Humans Are
Robotics technology also involves artificial intelligence, but machines cannot match the kind of intelligence possessed by human beings. Although AI is highly used in many factory settings globally, the machines involved cannot think and make decisions as people do. In robotics technology, there is no gradual improvement in the work done, and such advances tend to stagnate until such a time that more programs are added to the robots in use. Robots operate within a particular scope of work and cannot work outside of their pre-defined programming, as the machines are not able to think on their own (Smids et al. 504). In addition, machines do not have a sense of conscience or emotions as people do. They can only operate without human touch or the kind of interaction that involves people. The machine’s relevant qualities, such as empathy and interaction, are synonymous with human beings. Therefore, they have the disadvantage of being emotionless in the workplace.
Conclusion
In conclusion, working with robotic technology has become one of the most forms of breakthroughs in the recent past. There are various careers where robots have played a leading role in ensuring human workers’ efficiency, accuracy, effectiveness, and safety. Some of the most notable areas associated with the new technology include spacecraft, nuclear power plants, and in the healthcare sector, robotic pharmacists. The healthcare sector is one area that has registered immense gains because of the role of robots in the field. For example, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, robots became the most preferred service providers in healthcare facilities, where they handled sensitive tasks that people could not have done. There are various advantages and disadvantages of robots. Some advantages include cost efficiency, accuracy, and involvement in risky areas. The technology is known to be more accurate and free of errors compared to what people can do. On the contrary, robotic technology has various disadvantages, including a lack of human touches, such as empathy, sympathy, and emotions, and human labor, making the technology a very costly affair, as people need to be trained. Technology still requires the involvement of human labor, making it a costly affair.
Works Cited
Beno, Michal. “The Advantages and Disadvantages of e-Working: An Examination Using an Aldine Analysis.” Emerging Science Journal, vol. 5, 2021, pp. 11–20.
Bordot, Florent. “Artificial Intelligence, Robots and Unemployment: Evidence from OECD Countries.” Journal of Innovation Economics & Management, N° 37, no. 1, 2022, pp. 117–138.
Etzioni, Amitai. “Pros and Cons of Autonomous Weapons Systems (with Oren Etzioni).” Library of Public Policy and Public Administration, 2018, pp. 253–263.
Papadopoulos, Irena, et al. “A Qualitative Exploration of Care Homes Workers’ Views and Training Needs in Relation to the Use of Socially Assistive Humanoid Robots in Their Workplace.” International Journal of Older People Nursing, vol. 17, no. 3, 2021.
Smids, Jilles, et al. “Robots in the Workplace: A Threat to—or Opportunity for—Meaningful Work?” Philosophy & Technology, vol. 33, no. 3, 2019, pp. 503–522.