Robots play a critical role in the function of human society. Today almost every task involves robots in some way. While most think of Toyota’s ASIMO or some other bipedal construct, a robot is actually any electronic system or machine that follows a programmed set of instructions.
What are robots and how are they utilized?
Robots can be anything from ASIMO to mechanical arms on an assembly line to a stop light to various programs on your desktop computer. Almost all robots today are completely hidden from the public eye and interact more often with other robots than with individual humans.
What are the most groundbreaking developments in the field of robotics?
It’s likely that most people are already familiar with the Google car, a self-driving automobile that, at the time of its first accident — the result of human error — had accumulated over 160,000 hours; many are also familiar with 3D printing. What very few people are aware of — likely only those within futurist and activist communities — are far more disrupting technologies such as Contour Crafting, vacuum-tube transportation, and automated agriculture facilities.
What are the potential consequences of these developments?
The economically-disruptive potential of these technologies are just as obvious as the disruptive potential of the Google car. Each development possesses the ability to eliminate employment for very large industries: the Google car may replace almost all driving jobs; Contour Crafting may replace all construction jobs; vacuum-tube transportation may replace all long-distance travel and shipping jobs; and automated agriculture may replace all agriculture jobs. While society has successfully been capable of replacing jobs lost to technology in the past, it does not have the ability to replace lost jobs by employing them in companies that build and repair robots because we already have robots that build and fix robots.
How has the field of robotics advanced throughout recent history?
While technology has always developed at a double-exponential rate — an exponential rate of development that also accelerates at an exponential rate — the field of robotics has reached a point in its double-exponential development where its advancements are observable over a period of a decade or two. Today there are robots that build other robots that grow food, build houses, and transport people from one location to another. There are robots that write news articles and conduct research. Twenty years ago the Internet had not yet become publicly accessible, yet robots today have their own social network, can be controlled remotely from low-Earth orbit, and can even be controlled via the Internet with cybernetic implants.
What advancements can be expected in the near future and how are these advancements likely to affect society?
If anything is clear, it is that our jobs are gone. The developments that have occurred thus far will only be further improved and refined. New technologies will render more humans obsolete in more fields. Furthermore, these technologies will only become less expensive to implement and are already becoming less expensive than sweat-shop labor; assassination drones used by the U.S. military will only become deadlier; robotic transportation will become faster, safer, and more reliable; prostheses and implants will simulate more human functions more accurately or will greatly improve upon them. Assuming humans survive to the end of the century, it is difficult to imagine any socially-critical task that cannot be performed by robots.
Kenneth Palmer is a freelance writer who focuses on robotics research, futurism and experimental technology, biological research, technology, computer software and hardware, and other relevant topics. To learn more about laboratory robotics research.
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Rashmi Sinha
Mar 09. 2013
According to me, a robot will represent our alter ego in near future.
They will be highly adaptable to human needs and will have high intellectual level.
Thanks for this “prophecy”.
Abhishek
Mar 20. 2013
i m sure there will be a day where there will be robots in place of soldiers in all armies
cheatsjungle
Apr 05. 2013
As someone said there ^, it’s matter of time when soldiers iwll be replaced by robots in armies.
Nina
Aug 15. 2013
I think we will have a great future with this possibilities. I´m from germany and we are always a little bit behind but this is also a good chance for the german industry.
TechCrates
Aug 16. 2013
Hi Nina, we Germans are innovators in technology and not really a litte bit behind 😉 Compared to China, uncontrolled rapid growth is not sustainable.
Viele Grüße aus Stuttgart,
Carsten
TechCrates
Sep 04. 2013
Latest robotics update: Inroducing new technology Gadgets
Matt
Sep 12. 2013
This paints a bleak vision of the future, but its not wholly inaccurate. Since our experience with robotics is still fairly new, we are still attempting to strike the balance between technological worth and human worth. As we understand it today, we’re only starting to see how increased technology devalues humanity, but we’ll strike a balance.
Abhay
Oct 22. 2013
Thats Great. I m happy to read this article.
Antoinette
Jan 15. 2014
Robots can do beyond the reach of humans. But it will affect much in the future! And have time reading your article. It may or may not!
Shailesh
Mar 19. 2014
Yes. very nice post. I really liked, someone who write on a Metadata.
Google crawls all pages with the help of these metadata. It’s need for every blog and should put it over there with the help of any SEO plugins. Thanks for sharing this.. 🙂
Donald
Mar 19. 2014
It’s kind of scary thinking that robots could replace us in jobs like construction and lower the amount of work available. But then I think about some of the jobs that would become available, for example programing. We lose some jobs but I think others will present themselves.
TechCrates
Apr 10. 2014
I love the new ‘Almost Human’ episodes 🙂
Maxi
Jul 29. 2014
one day will come where all the dangerous works done by robots such as high voltage wire shifting, war front etc well written Lindsey JD 🙂
aykan osgb
Dec 30. 2014
its good. Thanks
Engineer Tomorrow
Aug 11. 2015
You have painted a very gloomy picture 🙁
I don’t think robotics is all bad though. While it is replacing many jobs, it is also helping us reach new levels of development. For example, we have been able to send robots into space to explore the boundaries of our solar system. We can also manufacture things much more quickly and efficiently, enabling lower-priced goods for consumers. I believe our society is currently going through a period of transition, similar to the industrial revolution in the 1800’s. At that time, it was also believed machines would remove skilled labor from the work force. Instead, it simply shifted the role people played in the workforce.
Anyways, I enjoyed reading your post and taking a different look at the effects of robotic developments on society.