Robotics: the situation so far

Robotics: it is estimated that by 2020 the hourly cost of a robot employed in a workplace will be around 10 Euros as opposed to the 19 Euros which an average human being currently earns. These figures, the result of reliable research, explain why the automation market has grown so consistently over the last few years, gaining 27 percentage points in 2014 alone.

Foxconn (a Chinese company manufacturing iPhones) made a bold entrance into the robotics sector in 2016 when it acquired one million robots to progressively replace that number of workers.  At that time in the United States, 40% of professions were already at serious risk and 20% at medium level risk.

Although some people believe that this will lead to a net rise in unemployment, the Engineer Bruno Siciliano (a leading robotics expert) claims that humanoid robots (those resembling humans) will only be employed in the most dangerous and unpleasant tasks.

Their uses will vary from one continent to another and although in the USA robotics seems to be considered more appropriate for military and medical purposes (robots are currently used there to shorten rehabilitation periods and as backup for surgeons), in Europe they are still viewed as a tool which is best suited to industrial processes.

It should also be noted that while the citizens of some Eastern countries are already happy to welcome humanoid robots into their homes, people in Western countries seem more reluctant.

One example of this is Japan where some families have introduced the humanoid robot known as Pepper into their homes, while in America people prefer a spherical robot called Jibo.

However, robotics will not only involve robots which resemble, to a greater or lesser degree, human beings.  It will also include nanorobots which are able to carry out extremely complex operations.  These procedures are made possible through the use of microscopic components which are so tiny that they can be inserted into people’s bodies to check their health.

In other cases, robots will be used to provide aid following natural disasters or to help people carry out jobs such as driving a car, taking their children to school or even serving at a bar. All this is expected to lead to major changes in society affecting a vast range of sectors.

According to the new director of the Don Gnocchi Foundation, Maria Chiara Carrozza, the changes brought about by robotics should not be a cause for fear, because if managed properly, robotics will guarantee some major improvements, especially for the more vulnerable members of society.

In order to achieve that objective with the Foundation, Mrs Carrozza plans to intensify cross-sector research, while applying the results of scientific research to the clinical environment.  According to the Director, this will only be possible through closer cooperation between the main players in these sectors.

Another fundamental element is businesses’ willingness to invest in order to build knowledge and make further progress in technological areas. This should result in a significant boost to the development of robots which are of real use to humans:  robots which will not steal people’s jobs, but rather place themselves at the service of others.

That concludes our brief overview of the current robotics situation:  an area with great potential which could literally transform the lives of individuals, accompanying and supporting them in a wide range of activities.  Of course, for now it all seems like science fiction, but if things continue to develop positively then we will soon find ourselves in the midst of a major revolution.

Translated by Joanne Beckwith