Big Robot Issues

BIG ISSUES/HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE LITERATURE

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In society, the first uses of robots were in factories as industrial robots as simple fixed machines capable of manufacturing tasks which allowed production without the need for human assistance. Digitally controlled industrial robots and robots making use of artificial intelligence have been built since the 1960s. In 1961 the first industrial robot Unimate, created by American inventor George Devol, was in operation on a General Motors assembly line at the Inland Fisher Guide Plant in Ewing Township, New Jersey. The 4000 pound robotic arm transported die castings from an assembly line and welded these parts on auto bodies, a dangerous task for workers, who could be poisoned by exhaust gas or lose

From their findings they expect that the beneficial effects of robots will extend into the future, as new robot capabilities are developed and service robots come of age, but they also made a note of caution that there is some evidence of diminishing marginal returns, or congestion effects, to robot use, so they are not a panacea for growth. They also stated that preliminary post 2007 data show the number of robots has continued to swell, and the set of tasks they can perform has expanded. Both of these trends indicate that robots will continue to play an important role in improving productivity (Baranes and Oudeyer, 2013).

Further results of their work show that industrial robots increased total factor productivity and wages, at the same time, they find no significant effect of robots on the labor share. They conclude that industrial robots made significant contributions to labor productivity and aggregate growth, and also increased wages and total factor productivity. While fears that robots destroy jobs on a large scale have not yet materialized, they find that there is some evidence that they reduced the employment of low skilled workers, and, to a lesser extent, middle skilled

Furthermore, the research work is useful for the health care sector, to map the most important areas of concern with regard to the impact of robotics on employment and motivation of employees in health care. The focus can subsequently be on further development of effective, efficient, and employment friendly robots for the sector. The researchers confidently conclude that this study has practical and policy implications for the companies in the service sector, especially in the health care