Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

Ask any business owner or manager and they will likely agree that the hardest part of running a business is managing people.  After all, employees must be recruited, hired, trained, and supervised.  At practically every level, workers need to cooperate and collaborate with others regularly.  And, they must be reliable, trustworthy, and capable, as well as willing and able to learn and grow as the marketplace changes and the company evolves.  In addition to skills and talents, employees need to be even-tempered, kind, polite and pleasant when they deal with coworkers, bosses and customers. 

Finding people who fit that description has become increasingly challenging for business owners and managers.  After all, people are… human.  They are different in their temperaments, qualities, and attitudes.  They can get sick and experience personal problems that affect their ability to show up for work and be consistently productive and effective.  On top of that, Millennial and Zellenial workers have become increasingly harder to hire and retain, especially as more young people opt into the gig economy, preferring to be solopreneurs with multiple income streams and increased flexibility.  But, until now, what other option did companies have?  Employees have been the lifeblood and most valuable resource of any business.  Until now.  Enter AI-powered robots.   

Robots that can Think

AI is already being used to control robots and other machines to perform tasks autonomously. Some of the most common methods include:

1. Machine Learning – This type of AI allows machines to learn from data without being explicitly programmed. In the context of robotics, machine learning is used to teach robots how to perform tasks such as object recognition, navigation, and manipulation.

2.  Computer Vision – This field of AI enables computers to interpret and understand visual information from the world around it.  In robotics, computer vision can be used to give robots the ability to see and understand their surroundings, which is essential for tasks such as autonomous navigation and obstacle avoidance.

3.  Natural language processing (NLP) – This allows computers to understand and generate human language.  In robots, NLP gives robots the ability to communicate not just with other computers but also with humans.  This is essential for collaboration and task delegation.  Think work flow management and team projects.

4.  Robotic Control Systems – Robotic control systems manage the movement and behavior of robots. In the past, robotic control systems have been based on traditional control theory, but now AI is increasingly being used to create more sophisticated and intelligent control systems.  For instance, AI can give robots the ability to adapt to changing conditions and to learn from their experiences.

Robots and Work

Use of AI in robotics is still in its early stages but has the potential to revolutionize the world of work. AI-powered robots are already being used in a variety of applications, including manufacturing, construction, healthcare, and logistics.  For example:

• Building robots are being used in the construction of homes in a variety of ways.  Bricklaying robots now lay bricks at a much faster rate than human workers and with greater precision, which saves time and money on construction projects.  Framing robots are being used to frame houses.  They cut and assemble the wooden beams that make up the structure of a house safely and efficiently, a task that is dangerous and time-consuming for human workers.  Drywall robots are being used to install drywall easily and accurately in order to create the walls and ceilings of a house.  These robots are more precise and coordinated than human drywall installers.  And, roofing robots are already installing roofing materials, such as shingles or tiles, safely and efficiently without risk of falling off ladders or scaffolding.  All of these robots are increasingly being paired with AI so that they learn and perform tasks faster, more efficiently and with fewer installer errors.  This should make it faster and more cost-effective for builders to complete construction of homes. 
  
  
• Self-driving cars are using AI to perceive the world around them, make decisions about how to navigate, and control their movements.  Tesla already uses AI in their self-driving vehicles.  However, recent data on the safety of autonomous driving Tesla vehicles is mixed. On the one hand, Tesla’s Autopilot system has been involved in numerous high-profile crashes, some of which have resulted in fatalities, leading to concerns about the safety of the system and calls for more regulation.  On the other hand, Tesla also released data suggesting Autopilot is safer than human drivers. The Tesla’s Vehicle Safety Report for the third quarter of 2022 indicated there was one crash for every 6.26 million miles driven in which drivers were using Autopilot technology vs. one crash for every 1.71 million miles by drivers not using Autopilot.  The problem is that these numbers are based on Tesla’s own data, which many experts consider to be incomplete and unreliable. Also, it’s difficult to compare the safety of Autopilot to the safety of human drivers because there is no standardized system of measurement. 
  
  Thus, the days of Autopilot being used by cars and trucks to deliver goods to warehouses, stores and customer homes is not here yet.  But, Autopilot systems for vehicles are constantly improving through over-the-air software updates as well as AI that can learn from its mistakes.  That means self-driving vehicles that can be used as taxis as well as trucks to transport goods from ports and airports to warehouses is coming soon.
  
  
• Surgical robots are being used to perform delicate and precise surgeries. AI gives these robots the ability to learn from their experiences and adapt to changing conditions.  For instance, Intuitive Surgical, Abbot Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic have all developed and manufactured robotic surgical systems to allow physicians to perform complex but minimally-invasive procedures with greater precision and control than was previously possible with traditional laparoscopic surgery.  These include cardiac, urological, spinal and other systems in the body. 
  
  While there are currently no commercially available robots that can perform surgery on their own without a human physician in control, there are several research projects being developed in which robots will potentially be able to perform surgery autonomously in the future.  For example, the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR) — developed at Johns Hopkins University — is a soft-bodied robot that can autonomously sew together sections of intestines.  In a study published in Science Robotics in 2022, STAR successfully performed this procedure on pig intestines with a high degree of accuracy. 
  
  
• Warehouse robots move and store goods in warehouses. AI is being used to give these robots multiple abilities.  For example, Amazon — one of the pioneers in the use of robots in warehouses — uses a variety of robots for different tasks, including picking and packing orders, transporting goods, and palletizing. This has improved efficiency, reduced costs, reduced workman’s comp injuries and increased productivity.  Similarly, Walmart is using smart robots to scan inventory, check for product defects, and unload trucks.  This not only has reduced the cost of labor but has also improved accuracy.  Of course, robots aren’t being used to stock shelves in stores yet.  However, there is no doubt it will be possible in the not-so-distant future.
  
  The US is not the only nation already embracing robot labor in warehouses.  Ocado, a British online grocery retailer, uses robots to fulfill orders. Company robots are able to pick and pack groceries at a rate of 500 items per hour, helping reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction.  Even communist China is using robots with AI in warehouses.  JD.com — a Chinese e-commerce company — uses robots to fulfill orders. Their robots pick and pack orders at a rate of 1,000 items per hour, which has helped the company expand its reach and increase its market share.
  
  
• Caregiving robots are being developed to provide care for the elderly and disabled. AI is being used to give these robots the ability to understand specific, individual patient needs and deliver personalized care.

As AI technology continues to develop, we can expect to see even more sophisticated and intelligent robots in the years to come.  These smart robots will be able to make businesses run much more efficiently.  But due to the initial cost of such smart robots, big companies with deeper pockets will have a huge advantage over smaller businesses and startups trying to compete.  Businesses that are thinking about whether to invest in robotics should understand that the divide between companies with and without robotics will only get wider over time.  The time to invest in that type of technology is now while it is still possible to compete.  Food for thought.

Quote of the Week
“Robots are going to be the driving force behind the next industrial revolution.”
Jeff Immelt, former CEO of General Electric

© 2023, Keren Peters-Atkinson. All rights reserved.