The robots in manufacturing are the latest revolution that led to further development, with using smarter, cheaper, more efficient and faster robots. The paper will present the history and early times of manufacturing the Robots. The process and development are improving every day and the changes through the past will be presented. The industry has been known for using the robots, but their area is constantly spreading into all areas from industry, agriculture, medicine, leisure and home.
“Industrial robotics refer to the study and use of robots for manufacturing where industrial robots are essential components in an automated manufacturing environment” (Karl, 2010, 10). The history of inventions and vision can be found in ancient Greece, but the real development began with the year 1960 in United States. The first development began in the US, but today yearly supply of industrial robots in majority comes from Asia not America (Karl, 2010). Worldwide estimated of operational stock of multipurpose industrial robots is expected in 2018 to be over two million units. The biggest growth is predicted for Asia and Australia, Europe and American stock are predicted to stay on similar levels with a slight increase. The worldwide sales of industrial robots have risen from 2004 onward. In 2004 97 units were sold and in 2014 225 that is due to the spreading of industrial robots into a wide range of tasks and the growing number of industries. Japan, China, the United States, South Korea and German are leading of the industrial robot markets. The prediction of growth of the industrial robot market is at around 7% annually (The Statistical Portal). The statistics in using robots show that the most industrial robots per 10.000 manufacturing employees were seen in South Korea, Japan and Germany. The robots are in the U.S. mostly used in auto parts industry (35%), auto industry (29%), metals industry (9%), food and consumer goods (6%) and in electronic and pharma, Biomed and life science another 4% in each (Hagerty, 2010). Diversity is seen in manufacturing robots. Many sectors, company and private actors used them such as Apple, Lenovo, Tesla Motors and many other well-known names of which a lot originates in Japan (Anandan, 2014).
Robots have a major and important role in the military, consume and social robots (Tobe, 2015), professional service, healthcare and surgical systems, unmanned aerial and marine systems. The robots are changing and transforming manufacturing (PWC, 2016). The investments in the industrial robotics and overall robotics are rising (Mellon BNY, 2015).
They have both advantages and disadvantages for the society. The arguments for and against using the robots in manufacturing has been examined. The robots have socioeconomic implication (Mathias, 2010) and vast economic implications. The manufacture can spend a lot of money with introducing the industrial robot, since they do not have limitation of hours possible to work and can work 24/7, are never sick, can work in a dangerous environment and all they need is electricity. The companies can save with wages and manage production with more efficiency and effectiveness (Nof, 1999). On the other side there are questions raised how robots effect on people and what consequences will their implementation mean for human jobs (Ford, 2015).
The ethical and social implication of robotics are not stopping the future development, and rising our imagination with future possibility where the robots will be able to deceive, make self-surgeries, serve instead of humans, babysit and other work. However good and positive their effect might sound, the global and international concern about their impact on ethics and society has been raised. What has been seen in computer filed will be seen in the field of robotics. The negative assumption such as errors, insufficient programming, emergent behavior and lack of artificial intelligence and reduced safety, are just some cons and worries the manufacturing in robots raises (Abney, Bekly, Lin, 2012). The manufacturing of robots is happening quickly with the improvement and development the future can be totally changed in both, a positive and negative way.
Work Cited
Abney, Keith, Beckey, A. George, Lin, Patrick. (2012). Robot Ethics: The Ethical and Social Implication of Robotics. Massachusetts: The MIT Press.
Anandan, Tanya. (2014). Robotics in 2014: Market Diversity, Cobots and Global Investment. Retrieved from http://www.robotics.org/content-detail.cfm/Industrial-Robotics- Industry-Insights/Robotics-in-2014-Market-Diversity-Cobots-and-Global- Investment/content_id/4614
Ford, Martin. (2015). The Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future. New York: Basic Books.
Mathia, Karl. (2010). Robotics for Electronics Manufacturing: Principles and Applications and Cleanroom Automation. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Hagerty, R. James. (2015). Meet the New Generation of Robots for Manufacturing. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/meet-the-new-generation-of-robots-for- manufacturing-1433300884
Mellon BNY. (2015). Investment Trends: The Rise of the Robots. Retrieved from https://www.bnymellon.com/us/en/our-thinking/investment-trends-the-rise-of-the- robots.jsp#footnote
Nof, Y. Shimon. (1999). Handbook of Industrial Robotics. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Inc.
PWC. 2016. The New Hire: How a New Generation of Robots is transforming manufactoring. Retrieved from http://www.pwc.com/us/en/industrial-products/next- manufacturing/robotic-trends-changing-manufacturing.html
The Statistical Portal: Projected Operational Multipurpose Industrial Robots Worldwide from 2010 to 2018. Retrieved from: http://www.statista.com/statistics/281380/estimated- operational-stock-of-industrial-robots-worldwide/
Tobe, Frank. (2015). 2016 Will be a Pivotal Year for Social Robots. Retrieved from http://www.therobotreport.com/news/2016-will-be-a-big-year-for-social-robots
