Abstract
Robots are mechanical machines which are controlled by computer programs and powered by an energy source. In the modern times, robots are commonly used in the manufacturing of heavy products or products which are dangerous for humans to manufacture. The use of robots also has advantages and disadvantages. The use of robots could result to higher productivity since it provides more accurate and precise products than humans. It could also provide more safety to workers. However, robots are expensive and it requires high maintenance cost. It also requires an expert to handle or to control the robots when problems arise. In general, robots are created by humans to help the people in doing tasks which are nearly impossible for an individual to do.
Introduction
The issues regarding robots such as fears and concerns about its development have been depicted in many books, movies and novels (Duhamel et al., 2013). In most cases, the theme of these stories lies in the development of an intelligent robot and became motivated in destroying humanity or taking control over the human race. Some of the most popular movies which depicted the fear and concern about robots include The Matrix, The Terminator, I, Robot, and The Mechanical Man (Cabibihan et al., 2013). However, creating an intelligent robot is not yet well developed by the modern technology. The development of the intelligent robot is restricted by several ethical and moral concerns.
Despite the restrictions on the technological developments of robots, these mechanical machines have been helpful in the industrial manufacturing of products. Robots also have been beneficial to humans in terms of reducing the work and activities done by people (Morales et al., 1999). The advantages of robots or the technology of robotics could be observed in a wide ranges of industries such as manufacturing and health care. The common benefits of robots include reduction of time in most of the activities or works of humans and high quality in productivity (Seon, 2012).
The objective of this essay is to discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of robots or the field of robotics. The essay also opts to analyze some of the benefits of robots to humanity as well as its mechanism and manufacturing process.
Brief History of Robots
The term robot was first used in a fictional book in 1921. Modelling of humanoid robots was popular during the 1920s. In 1928, the Model Engineers Society, which was based in London, England organized the first exhibit of their model of a humanoid robot. It was practically made up of aluminium body of amour, motors and magnets. However, its major use has not yet been understood during these periods. It was in the 1960s when the industrial robots have been introduced in the manufacturing firms in the United States (Morales et al., 1999). This is also the period in time where the field of modern industrial robotics has been developed. Several models and designs of robots or automatically or electronically controlled mechanical machines have been developed and patented.
How it is made and what is it Mechanism?
Robots are automatically or electronically controlled mechanical machines which are commonly guided by computer programs and electronic circuits. The design and model of robots are commonly based on its application. In most cases, the industrial robots are created in order to replace humans in some of the dangerous and repetitive tasks (Duhamel et al., 2013).
There are several components which make up the robot. Common robots require movable parts of physical structures. The model and design of the physical structure depend on its use or purpose. The robots are also made up of motors in order for the movable physical structures to move. The power supply is also required in order to provide electrical energy for the robot (Cabibihan et al., 2013). The robots are also commonly controlled using the computer programs which are also considered as the “brain” of the mechanical machine. Lastly, robots are also equipped with sensor systems which are commonly used for decision making of the mechanical machine. These parts or physical structures of the mechanical machine are linked together to form the robot.
Most of the experts creating robots usually create sophisticated computer programs to operate a mechanical machine. The design and model of the robot is planned and the other structural parts or physical structures are then considered. There are also various types of robots depending on its mechanism. Mobile robots are commonly developed in order for the mechanical machine to move around to several physical locations (Morales et al., 1999). The industrial robots are also common in manufacturing firms to replace humans to do some of the dangerous and repetitive activities. There are also robots which are commonly developed to help humans in other activities. For example, educational robots are created to assist people in teaching other people.
Advantages of Robots
Robots are developed due to their numerous advantages over humans in performing several tasks. One of the main advantages of robots is that it could perform higher quality of work due to its high level of precision. The use of robot could remove or avoid some of the human errors that could occur during repetitive activities which is common to most of the manufacturing firms (Duhamel et al., 2013). Robots are considered as more precise workers than humans and they rarely make errors. The use of robots could also help in the quality assurance of products since it could easily provide information and data for quality control systems (Morales et al., 1999).
The use of robots could also increase the productivity since it could not be easily exhausted like humans. They could work for a long amount of time without breaks and day off like humans always do. Robots could also do dangerous works (Yaghoubi et al., 2013). They could save some of the human workers in performing dangerous works or activities. They could be subjected to heavy tasks and is capable of lifting some of the heavy load in the manufacturing processes. The use of robots could increase the worker safety in the manufacturing firms. Lastly, the use of robots could also result to the saving of time and money for most of the manufacturing firms. Investment on the development of robot in the manufacturing firm is commonly more economical than hiring more human workers to do the same task (Morales et al., 1999).
Disadvantages of Robots
Robots are developed in order to help humans for the difficult tasks. However, the use of robots also has their own disadvantages. First, the use of robots in the manufacturing firms could result to unemployment of several people (Morales et al., 1999). Some of the manufacturing firms are investing in the use of robots in most of the manufacturing process due to its advantages. However, it could lead to lower demand for workers and could lead to higher unemployment rates (Cabibihan et al., 2013). The initial investments of the use of robots in manufacturing firms are also expensive. It means only large manufacturing firms could acquire the use of robots in their manufacturing processes.
Another main disadvantage of the use of robot is the maintenance of the mechanical machine. Regular maintenance of the machine is required like any other mechanical equipment in the manufacturing process. It cost of the regular maintenance of robots are commonly high which is a disadvantage for the manufacturing firms (Duhamel et al., 2013). Automation using robots also have disadvantages. The use of robots for automation could lead to bottlenecks in the manufacturing line when there are machine problems. Lastly, the use of robots also requires experts to handle or to control it. In most cases, manufacturing firms need time and financial output in order to acquire experts who could handle and control robots.
Benefits of Robots
Robots could provide a wide range of benefits for humans (Seon, 2012). Robots are now common in the manufacturing firms and replace humans in some of the repetitive and dangerous tasks. Robots could also be created in order to do a small quantity of task extremely well. For example, a robot could be created in order to cut edges in the manufacturing of cars or other heavy products (Morales et al., 1999). Robots could also be created in order to make large quantities of tasks less well. For example, a robot could be created to do several tasks such as cutting, gluing, and welding of parts or a product during the manufacturing process (Yaghoubi et al., 2013).
In most of the car or vehicle factories, robots have been developed or created to work on the production lines. According to most of the manufacturing firms, robots could do more accurate and precise work than humans. A common vehicle manufacturing firms have hundreds of robots working on several production or manufacturing lines. Their robots could also be reprogramed depending on its purpose or its objective.
How it could help Humanity in the Future
The development of robots could not be easily slowed by several important barriers such as ethical and moral issues due to its wide range of benefits (Yaghoubi et al., 2013). In the modern times, robots are helping humans in doing tasks in the manufacturing processes and other important services such as harvesting fruits on the farm and collecting data from space. The use of robots in the space exploration is also common in the modern times. Several robotic probes are now sent to space or to some parts of the solar system to acquire needed data (Duhamel et al., 2013). In the future, robots could replace humans in doing several important tasks such as for security purposes and health care reasons.
Conclusion
Robots in the modern times are not like the ones depicted in the popular books and movies. Robots are mechanical machines which are generally controlled by computer programs to do some of the repetitive and dangerous tasks for humans. Robots are beneficial to humanity since it could provide the means for technological advances for humans. Robots also have advantages and disadvantages. Some of the advantages of robots include doing tasks which are dangerous for humans, higher productivity in manufacturing firms, safety for human workers and saving time for several tasks. Some of the disadvantages of the use of robots include expensive initial investment for manufacturing firms, lower employment rates for humans, and high costs of maintenance and control.
References
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