The Internet of Things (IoT) fundamentally alters business processes, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars and time. Consumer culture already includes smart homes, high-tech manufacturing, and maintenance. If the Internet of Things continues along these lines, it has the potential to reshape the entire world in the image of Silicon Valley. So, let’s see what progress looks like today.
Robotics Varieties
In the 1920s, a new literary term appeared: “a robot.” It meant insignificant servants doing tedious mechanical work. However, the term’s creator, Karel Capek, did not anticipate such rapid development of the essence of world perception, that is, artificial intelligence. So, without coding, robotics would simply be another primitive mechanism. Flexibility, memory, energy efficiency, and a variety of other characteristics enable them to be primary items in smart factories, where they will meet new challenges and secure global supplies.
The configuration, features, and degree of autonomy of each robot vary. Certainly, their classification can be extremely detailed, necessitating several pages of brief descriptions of each existing type. We will dissect five major robots that have a massive impact on human life.
Pre-Programmed
These are highly specialized devices that can effectively complete certain actions. For example, the mechanical arm on an automotive assembly line.
Humanoid
This impressive type can fully imitate facial expressions, movements, and speech! Just think of Hanson Robotics’ Sophia or Boston Dynamics’ Atlas!
Autonomous
They are an integral part of the IoT or at least the smart home because of sensors that recognize the environment and then make the safe and economical route. Roomba vacuum cleaners have sensors to move freely around the house.
Teleoperated
These are semi-autonomous bots controlled over a wireless network. They can be applied in different climatic conditions – for instance, Curiosity, which performs missions to Mars.
Augmenting
These machines seem to play the role of a God, allowing life to be prolonged and improved. Pacemakers, prosthetics, and exoskeletons are no longer fiction. Another issue is their reliability and data protection. By the way, you can read more about it here.
In the following section of this article, we will try to approach the phenomenon of robotics by looking at it in terms of functionality.
Machines that Know How to Grow
Interestingly, any invention has a foundation of perfectly understandable and ordinary things. We are well aware that plants need moisture, light, and nutrition. But if we transform the plant into robotics, we will get soft robots building their solid bodies from a liquid. And the Newtonian fluid has nothing to do with it!
The specialists from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities came up with tech extrusion – their robots “grow” as they move and can perform tasks that people cannot. For instance, navigating the human body, and installing pipes in hard-to-reach places. Similar to plants, “soft-growing robots” can turn liquid monomers into solids.
Humanoid Robots
A Weird Hotel in Japan is almost fully staffed by robots to save labor costs. They are equipped with facial recognition instead of electronic registration keys. Innovation Champion, Sophia robot, also deserves special attention. It is very smart and can babble on various topics, such as in a recent interview on the Jimmy Fallon show. Another Boston Dynamics creation, the Atlas, is truly impressive because it can move like a human being. It is tested in the woods, so it is not afraid of difficult thickets as well as precipices. Perhaps the features of each of these robots will become part of a holistic personality shortly.
Robot toys for kids
In addition to STEM literacy, research shows that robotics can stimulate other skills such as hands-on creativity, problem-solving, communication, and teamwork. That is why these smart machines have become part of the educational process of today’s children. The Sillbird is a great example of robotics for children that lays the foundation for sustainable and environmentally friendly thinking. A set of these toys is about $ 30 but the experience of playing with it for sure will be unforgettable.
Robots – workers
Humans win the job market, so sometimes talking about robots taking over the world like in Karel Capek’s books can be fiction and a figment of the imagination. Nevertheless, routine mechanical work is sometimes time-consuming and difficult for them. This is the main reason for the transformation of processes. For example, Richtech Robotics creates food-serving robots. The FlexShelf by Fetch Robotics allows baskets of goods to be delivered to specific points in the warehouse. According to Zebra, in five years almost all warehouses will be using some form of automation. So this article is more of a reason for business owners to think about how to create an effective and at the same time sustainable product.
Conclusion
Among the variety of robots, we have tried to tell you about the most important ones that affect human lives and at the same time bring the era of total automation closer. But what happens next? Whether robots will rise against humans as in the works of Karel Capek remains a question of time.