Future of Robots as Work Forces in Warehouses

Robots have been in factories for decades. But increasingly we will see them out in the open. Already little ones - toys, really - sweep floors. But they are getting better at doing what we do. When will robots put many of us out of work? . Most robotics don't see the coming robot invasion that way. The current robots are being designed to work alongside people, not replace them, in the work force. Amazon's new robots will do the same thing: helping speed things up in the warehouses.

Amazon Robots

Amazon, purchased a robot maker company called Kiva Systems for $775 million . When we heard about

Amazon robots we thinks that it is one which is used to read Kindle books to you , this isn't that kind of robot. Instead, Kiva Systems' robots move around warehouses and stock shelves. These robots will most likely replace human workers in Amazon's warehouses. 

According to the company website, Kiva Systems  "hundreds of autonomous mobile robots, to enable extremely fast cycle times with reduced labor requirements." 

If I were a worker in Amazon's warehouses and could eventually be given a pink slip and replaced by an robot, I don't think I would be so cheerful about this new workforce.

How it Works  to Boost Efficiency ?


Robots for Material Flow and Logistics, can mimic the thinking of ants, use processors modeled after ants’ brains and body systems to independently navigate a warehouse, identify items to pick up, and coordinate with each other to carry each item to its designated picking station.

Each robot knows what to carry and where to carry it, based on installed software that crunches “ant algorithms,“ which emulate the actual behavior of ants searching for food. The robot software programs notify them when an order comes in, and then each robots interacts with the others through W-LAN to determine which robot will take on which task and where. The fleet increases or decreases its activity as the demands fluctuate throughout the workday.

Their on-board navigation systems also enable each robot to move freely without crashing into any objects or, for that matter, other robots . And via their scanners for location, acceleration, and distance, the robots  independently calculate the shortest routes to any destination.


Robots in Germany 

Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML, in Dortmund, Germany , who built a fleet of 50 of these robots in partnership with robotics firm Dematic, said that this suite of capabilities makes them far more efficient and economical than traditional, human workforce. Following further testing and development, the researchers said, autonomous robots like them could be clearing inventory in warehouses throughout Germany and beyond.

Robotic Future  -Application Robots

The researchers are working on miniature robots just a quarter of an inch wide that could help doctors go inside bone during surgery, and another robot, about the size of a deck of cards, could help in hostage situations by allowing the police to observe a room inconspicuously. In each instance, humans are still needed to control the robots.

We are starting to see robots on the battlefield. We could eventually have robot police officers and firefighters, robotic guides, robot doctors, maybe even robotic journalists.

But if robots would eventually take on a broader role in the workforce and possibly replace workers?

Robots will help augment people's abilities, allowing us to use robots for things humans can't do. We need to to have someone who builds the robots.

I believe that jobs in creative fields, including musicians, writers and artists, will never be replaced by robots. No matter how smart robots are, they will also never be better than humans at physics or psychology. 

The  society has been down this road many times before. The rise of the industrial revolution gave way to fears of extensive job loss, as did the computerization of office works. 

Technology tends to make people optimistic. But are the scientists being realistic about people without the mathematical, scientific and engineering skills that are highly valued and compensated in today's economy? What happens to people without those skills?