Hello, Steemians!
We have our first Technology Tuesday! Today we will be talking about something near and dear to my heart, robotics! Specifically the new wave of collaborative robots. Typically if you were using a robot in a lab or production environment you would need some kind of safety cage, or sensor array around the arm to stop the robot if someone got too close. Then a company from Denmark started making great strides in inherently safe robots. That company is Universal Robots!
Universal Robots, or UR for short, has already started to change the game in the factory and lab environments. With the right application, you no longer need the OSHA required safety. Also, it is super easy to program! If you can drive a iPad you can make this robot dance!
What makes the UR so unique is that each joint has built in force feedback. That way if the robot feels a force in a direction it isn't expecting it stops moving! This is a game changer in the world of robotics, especially for what I call a "useful robot." Useful robots are what I call robots out of the R&D phase and actually deployed to perform a function. You may have heard of a company called Boston Dynamics. They make super cool and unique robots that will one day integrate right next to someone walking down the street. Right now though these robots don't serve a "useful" function in every day society.
https://www.bostondynamics.com/
UR is out there in factories and labs doing real work though! Below is a small video of some of the applications that are UR are doing:
So here comes the opinion part of this blog. I know what some people are going to say. "But, nuclearsilver, the robots are taking our jobs!" To a point you're correct, but they are mostly taking what are referred to as 3D jobs (dirty, dangerous, and dull). Jobs that employers have always had a hard time to fill and keep filled. Jobs that if you were to really ask yourself, you wouldn't want to do anyways.
I understand that we all have to provide for our families, but this is the future. We have to prepare ourselves for this, if your job is simple, and you don't really have to think, you may be in trouble. So how do we get around this? Well the first answer is more training. Not more school, but more training in a specific field you're interested in. Take a robotics technical class, attend a free workshop. Get involved in the technology so you don't get left behind! The second answer is you always have to be looking towards the future. Future post for Technology Tuesday will be about new and upcoming tech that I feel will influence or shape the world. Now that's a great way to stay ahead! Finally, we are gong to have to be more flexible. We may have to change our career while in our late 30's and 40's. Don't be scared though! When the computer came along the typewriter went away, and with it the typewriter factories, and typewriter factory jobs.
It's the natural progression for technology to replace older and less efficient methods. Humans counter this by gaining wisdom with their age (Okay, okay, we all know not all of us do! We all have a weird uncle.) Make sure you're making yourself more valuable and efficient, and you'll have a job as long as you want!
-nuclearsilver
Enjoyed reading about your stance on the robot takeover. Really interesting read!
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Thanks! I don't think it will be a terminator style thing, but it is something we have to be prepared for.
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