Latest reports show that robot sales plummeted by 30% last 2023 due to a combination of factors such as a slower economy and higher interest rates. Interestingly enough, a turnaround in companies in non-traditional robotics markets is looking into robotic automation, which could indicate better Q4 results for robot sales in 2024.

In a release, Jeff Burnstein says, “While robot sales naturally ebb and flow, the return to more typical robot sales after the last two record years can likely be attributed to a few obvious issues: a slow U.S. economy, higher interest rates, and even the over purchasing of robots in 2022 from supply chain concerns.” The president of A3 continues by saying, “We’ve seen a slowdown in the manufacturing of electronic vehicles this year along with fewer new distribution centers, both likely reducing the demand for robots.”.

To put things into numbers, reports show that companies only purchased 31,159 roots in 2023 compared to previous years when they purchased 44,194 in 2022 and 39,708 in 2021. Be that as it may, the strongest demand for robots from non-automative companies in 2023 came from the metal industry, semiconductor and electronic/photonics, food and consumer goods, life sciences, pharmaceutical and biomedical, plastics and rubber, and others.

This shows that more industries that are not necessarily into the traditional robotics markets are looking into incorporating robots into their workflow and systems. As Burnstein says, “…both are promising signs that more industries are becoming increasingly comfortable with automation overall.”.

While robot sales did decrease in 2023, the future still looks promising for the industry.

To help companies and policymakers meet the growing challenges and demands of last-mile deliveries, a recently published U.S. study explores the customer preferences and acceptance of delivery robots. The study also looked at the concerns and acceptance barriers of individuals towards last-mile delivery robots and other automated delivery options.

Existing studies show that public acceptance of last-mile delivery robots is linked to three factors: perceived usefulness, convenience, and flexibility. However, the new study was able to pinpoint the two most determining factors: overall cost and delivery speed.

For the former factor, this entails the shipping fee a customer would have to pay and the latter being the time it would take for one to receive the parcel. Simply put, so long as a customer doesn’t have to pay more (or if one has to pay less) while receiving the package faster, then delivery robots would be more accepted.

The study also discovered the potential negatives most customers have regarding last-mile delivery robots. Concerns about robots reducing human employment opportunities, safety, security, and open questions about shipping performances, operational needs, and regulatory support are the top-listed. Other acceptance barriers include package handling as well as a lack of trust and familiarity.

A notable deterrent that came out was the potential mishandling of deliveries and packages by delivery robots. This concern emerged greatly, especially when the packages are expensive and fragile. Through a simulation conducted in the study, overall results would show that there is an 8.3% positive increase in the acceptance of delivery robots when the concern of package handling is removed.

Concerning demographics, the study determined a specific market that is more likely to accept delivery robots handling their packages and showing up at their doorstep. These are more likely to be individuals who have attained higher education and are more technologically well-versed. On the other hand, older individuals tend to be more wary or exhibit a lower preference for automated modes.

A factor that remains ambiguous though is how carbon footprint and possible environmental impacts play a role in the public acceptance of last-mile delivery robots. This can be an interesting and important factor to include in future studies, especially since a growing number of people demand companies to be more eco-friendly.

Nonetheless, the study gave us great insight into the public’s general preference and acceptance of last-mile delivery robots — that is among attitudinal, demographic, and market-based factors, the time and money of the end consumer are the most important ones.

To end, while seeing delivery robots already running food deliveries and roaming streets can help in gaining public acceptance of these automated modes, this new study can help more companies and policymakers look into improvements and technologies that can fulfill unmet customer needs and concerns.

Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) are developing a robot pilot named PIBOT that can autonomously fly real planes in the sky. Although the AI-powered humanoid robot pilot is currently only running flight simulations, PIBOT shows good progress and results indicating that it can soon handle actual flights.

PIBOT was first demonstrated by the KAIST team in 2014. However, this version proved that its small design (and perhaps robotic automation technology at the time) was not enough to control a large-scale control panel of an airplane. Fast forward to today, the new PIBOT now stands at 5’3″ and weighs 143 pounds — large enough to train and run full-sized flight simulators.

Furthermore, with all the new advancements in robotic technology, AI, and large language models today, the new PIBOT can easily understand and be trained to fly different planes. All it takes is for the PIBOT to be fed the correct information, flight manuals, and navigation charts so it can fly a plane. Similar advancements in robotic automation and large language models are also currently being applied to other robots such as Google’s RT-2.

“PIBOT is a humanoid robot that can fly an aeroplane just like a human pilot by manipulating all the single controls in the cockpit, which is designed for humans”, claims lead developer David Shim. Although such thought can be scary and be met with scrutiny for some, KAIST ensures that PIBOT is perfectly capable and has even demonstrated a few advantages over human pilots.

“[PIBOT can] respond immediately to various situations, as well as calculate safe routes in real-time based on the flight status of the aircraft, with emergency response times quicker than human pilots”, says the KAIST team. Based on PIBOT’s flight in simulations, the robot pilot can also perfectly do takeoffs, landings, and taxiing. It can also accurately operate controls even when there’s harsh turbulence.

While the team expects to finish developing PIBOT in 2026, the future for the robot pilot is already bright. As this project also received funding from South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense, PIBOT is already being considered to be applied in other vehicles such as cars, military trucks, and other wide ranges of equipment.

With the growth of robotic automation and the rise of self-driving cars, perhaps people may find having a robot pilot fly their plane a norm soon. Certainly, the future of robots is an exciting development that is worth being updated on.

The relationship between technology and employment opportunities has been a subject of debate for decades. As technology continues to advance at an unprecedented pace in our country, questions arise regarding its impact on the employment market. People are concerned that artificial intelligence and robots ultimately lead to a reduction in human employment opportunities, or will it create new avenues for labor growth and innovation? In this article, we’ll explore both sides of this complex issue.

Will Technology Reduce or Increase Human Employment Opportunities?

Technology stands as one of the most rapidly advancing domains globally. In under half a century, the realm of high technology has undergone remarkable transformations. Given humanity’s perpetual quest for advancement and growth, it was only natural that the logical progression in technological evolution that our researchers would lead to the creation of robots. 

For many years, robots were the subject of fascination in fictional works, eventually transitioning into the realm of reality through engineers and AI specialists. This transition marked the inception of machines designed to resemble humans. Today, robots are poised to revolutionize our lifestyles and work environments.

People have different opinions about how robots will affect society. Some think robots could take jobs, like how computers did, but new IT and software jobs also emerged. The rise of robotics presents a new opportunity for people to work alongside robots. So, will robots actually replace our jobs?

Technology Is and Has Always Been a Job Creator—Not a Job Destroyer

Vint Cerf, Google’s Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, expressed that historically, technology has often generated more jobs than it has displaced. He emphasized that this situation should be no different, as there will be a demand for the production and servicing of these advanced devices. 

Jonathan Grudin, Principal Researcher at Microsoft, echoed this sentiment, noting that while technology may disrupt existing jobs, it is likely to create new ones. Grudin highlighted that as the world’s population has grown, so too have the number of available jobs, with countless tasks and roles waiting to be fulfilled. This fundamental need for work is unlikely to change.

Michael Kende, an economist from an internet-focused nonprofit, believes that technological advances usually make us more productive without taking away jobs. He thinks this trend will continue, especially with technologies like self-driving cars that can boost productivity without eliminating chauffeurs. While robots might replace some manual work, it’s similar to how automation changed factories in the past. Moreover, creating and maintaining these new tools will lead to more innovations and opportunities. 

Technological Advancements Create New Job Opportunities Even If They Displace Older Industries

Fred Baker, an internet pioneer, says robots and technology change jobs but don’t necessarily reduce them. For example, self-driving cars work well on marked streets but struggle on unmarked ones. They can handle jobs they’re designed for but not unexpected situations like a child running onto the road. Baker expects significant changes but doesn’t foresee everyone retiring by 2025.

John Markoff, a senior writer at the New York Times Science section, expressed that predicting the exact outcome is challenging. He acknowledged that there will likely be significant job displacement in the coming decade, but he also pointed out that 15 years ago, few would have anticipated “search engine optimization” becoming a significant labor category. 

Marjory Blumenthal, a science and technology policy analyst, added to this perspective. She noted that in certain contexts, automated devices like robots may displace more jobs than they create initially. However, they also lead to the emergence of new job categories and trigger secondary and tertiary effects. 

Additionally, there is a shift towards more collaboration between humans and robots, altering the types of work opportunities available. Blumenthal emphasized that the broader impacts are challenging to predict and may not solely result from automation but are interconnected with it. She cited historical economic changes, such as the oil price increases driven by OPEC in the 1970s, to highlight how they can overshadow the effects of technology.

There are Certain Jobs That Only Humans Have the Capacity To Do

David Hughes, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and a pioneer in digital telecommunications, believes that even with automation and AI, human involvement will remain crucial. He compares it to aircraft, where pilots and copilots are necessary. 

Hughes thinks that not all “self-driving” cars will be entirely unmanned because humans are still needed to detect unexpected situations and override automatic driving, especially as long as individually owned cars are on the road. 

Pamela Rutledge, PhD, and Director of the Media Psychology Research Center, emphasizes that there are tasks machines can’t perform, especially those requiring human qualities and soft skills like thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and innovation. While AI and robotics can handle repetitive jobs, humans excel in areas where emotional connections and unique human qualities matter. 

Rutledge highlights that technology can facilitate many aspects of our lives, from reminders to connecting with loved ones, but it can’t replace the profoundly human ability to emotionally connect.

Will Robots Cause Problems with Employment?

Many manufacturers are benefiting from new technology like automated production, smart data, the Internet of Things, and machine learning. According to a new study from researchers from Oxford Economics, “Within the next 11 years, there could be a development of 14 million robots put to work in China alone.”

Robots are primarily used in industries that have factory jobs, like the manufacturing industry, automotive industry, and electronics where they excel at manual labor: repetitive tasks and specific functions such as picking, packing, and placing components. Other sectors of the similar employment space will benefit from more robots taking on service jobs. 

Unlike humans who can experience fatigue, poor posture, and potential health risks, robots work continuously with precision, leading to higher production volumes and better-quality products. However, there is concern that robots may replace some human roles, especially when they can perform labor requiring a human touch, like grinding and polishing uneven objects using sensors.

In a 2020 report by the World Economic Forum, it was suggested that there could be a shift in labor distribution between humans and machines, potentially displacing around 85 million jobs. Nonetheless, the prevailing consensus is that Industry 5.0 will likely create more jobs for humans than it eliminates. 

The new jobs robotic technology created with this shift into robots in the workplace will lead to continued growth and new skills for the next generation of workers. The negative impact predicted will be minuscule compared to the benefits and higher quality of life it can create. 

Technology is causing significant disruptions in the economy, raising concerns about job loss due to automation. However, this situation is not entirely novel; we’ve experienced similar challenges during the Industrial Revolution. 

During previous Industrial Revolutions, workers feared that there would be no place for them in the workforce as machines increasingly took over their roles, making their jobs seem less valuable. Despite these concerns, humans continue to play a vital role in the workforce. 

Machines haven’t replaced us; instead, we’ve harnessed their power to enhance our productivity in various industries. In the long run, the addition of robots in society’s cog can increase human employment opportunities, as robots increase productivity among workers. Employees are now able to focus on other things of higher importance rather than be stuck in dangerous, repetitive work. 

What Will Happen If Robots Replace Humans in Jobs?

The majority of the workforce will find opportunities in the technology sector. While robots may eventually lead to a reduction in human employment, it’s important to note that the robotics industry will also create labor. These machines and innovations have taken over jobs that were once performed by humans, effectively automating these. What are the benefits of such technological advancement and job automation? 

A recent report suggests that from 2017 to 2037, robots will replace approximately 7 million people in various roles but will that really be so detrimental? A group of experts believes that the impact on employment is likely to be minimal due to the relatively short 10-year timeframe, which limits the substantial expansion of automation beyond factory settings. 

David Clark, a senior research scientist at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, pointed out the broader trend of automation gutting job opportunities. He anticipates a need for new soft skills in the service industry but doesn’t expect truly autonomous devices within 12 years. Instead, he envisions these devices enhancing human-led service delivery.

Jari Arkko, an Internet expert at Ericsson and chair of the Internet Engineering Task Force, emphasized that some technologies will take a long time to deploy at a significant scale. He highlighted the steady but gradual progress in these fields since the 1960s. 

Christopher Wilkinson, a retired European Union official, EURid.eu board member, and Internet Society leader, predicts that the vast majority of the population will remain unaffected by these technologies for the foreseeable future. 

He views AI and robotics as niche areas with limited applications, primarily in sectors like banking, retail, and transportation. Concerns over errors and liability issues are significant barriers to their widespread adoption in everyday contexts.

Robots reduce the stress an everyday man can experience at work. With automation taking the lead in dull and dangerous work, there will be a world in the future where a regular workplace will have human and robot employees on the regular.

A robot can handle all the dull work and humans can lead a more fruitful and productive life. In a sense, we can utilize these new technologies to alleviate the burdens of workers. Automation of labor has made work completion faster with fewer chances of error. For example, human checkout operators and cashiers are already being replaced with self-checkout counters.

How Does Robotics Affect the Employment Rate?

While we haven’t cracked the code for perpetual motion, the robotics industry is booming and manufacturing robots at an unprecedented rate, and it’s already affecting our lives. Many factories and manufacturers now rely on automation because machines can work without breaks and are excellent at repetitive jobs. As Bill Gates wisely put it, the impact of automation in businesses depends on whether this development is used to enhance efficiency or inefficiency. 

We’re in the future now, robots will work alongside human workers, helping us with labor that isn’t too mentally taxing or dangerous. It allows us to share and improve jobs with the help of these collaborative robots. 

Robots are tools created by humans to make work easier and more efficient through instructions. The main idea is for humans and robots to work together, with humans guiding robots to achieve better results. 

However, it’s important to understand that when it comes to coming up with new ideas, thinking creatively, and solving problems, human employees are essential. Robots can’t do these things because they lack the ability to think and generate innovative ideas.  

Therefore, it’s crucial for humans to decide which tasks a robot should handle to speed up processes and get better results in less time. Robots are best suited for tasks that are repetitive, physically tough, time-consuming, or dangerous. By letting robots handle these tasks, we can reduce the physical and mental strain on human workers, making them more productive and healthy, which benefits the company.

In today’s world, and in the near future, a robot can be part of our society’s regular sights and not a talk or a trending topic. Manufacturing a robot for service has been fast and researchers have been looking for a way to make it cheaper to expand the robot workforce of the world. We can only hope that these technologies will be able to help us far into the future and make a world where we can rely on these robots. 

When Henry Ford first introduced the assembly line in the manufacturing industry in 1913, it was seen as a revolutionary in the workforce. This type of operation in factories and warehouses was able to cut down manufacturing time and labor time significantly. However, working in an assembly line entails doing menial tasks day in and day out, which could get quite dull and sometimes even place employees in dreary conditions depending on the industry. Agility Robotics, one of the world’s leading companies in robotics, has sought a solution to this by creating ‘Digit’ — a bipedal robot made to help in routinary warehouse tasks and jobs.

By a fateful coincidence, Agility Robotics actually announced their partnership with Ford in 2020 after introducing Digit for the first time. True to Agility Robotics’ mission to build robots that help businesses and people thrive, Digit is designed to be a plug-and-play robot that can operate on its own after it has been programmed by an Agility Robotics representative.

The Chief Technology of Agility Robotics, Jonathan Hurst, shares that the main value and goal of Digit is its generality. “It’s a robot that can operate in human environments and spaces. It’s a relatively straightforward thing for very structured, repetitive tasks, to say, ‘there’s going to be boxes over there. We’re going to tell you which one from a databasing system, and we want you to move it over there.’”, says Hurst.

Agility Robotics has yet to share the exact number of Digits sold, but its sales of the bipedal robot are currently largely CapEx with future plans on exploring RaaS (robotics-as-a-service-model). Given the current track record and rapid growth of Agility Robotics, a company just founded in 2015, Digit shows a lot of promise in becoming an employee of the month in many warehouses in the nearby future. After all, it is not the first time we have heard of robots being hired to join the workforce.

Korea Seven and Neubility Collaboration

On August 26, Korea Seven announced the signing of a collaboration deal with Neubility to market Neubie, an autonomous robot, in Seoul and its neighboring cities by the end of 2021. The cameras used by the robots cost one-tenth the price of the light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system.

It is difficult for autonomous robots to function in Seoul’s southern area of Gangnam, which is densely packed with buildings. Because massive skyscrapers obstruct satellite signals, their GPS-based self-driving technology may not function effectively. Neubie robots, on the other hand, can avoid obstacles and travel to their goal using cameras and sensors.

Neubie robots can effortlessly complete delivery tasks in difficult metropolitan environments, regardless of weather conditions.

The Market for Delivery Robots

According to data supplied by the Fair Trade Commission, a state trade watchdog, the domestic delivery food services industry has reached 23 trillion won or $19.8 billion in 2020. In 2019, Yogiyo, a famous domestic meal delivery service app, started a grocery delivery service to supply items from convenience stores such as CU and GS25. Delivery companies are paid roughly 4,100 won ($3.51) for every delivery run.

These autonomous delivery robots, when finally commercialized, can assist store owners in lowering their operational expenses.

Choi Kyung-ho, the CEO of 7-Eleven in South Korea, has stated that the two firms will collaborate to establish a model for next-generation delivery service that delivers convenience to store management as well as greater revenues.

Singapore is not a stranger to robots in the field as it’s the country with the highest adoption rate of industrial robots anywhere in the world, with 9 per 100 workers, most of them in the electronics sector. While CHART has been in operation since 2015, the pandemic created a wide need for contactless and remote healthcare solutions. To address that, Sarah Seah, CHART’s director, stated, “There is growing awareness that robots are becoming more important in our work. Due to Covid-19 and the fact that we have to take care of more patients with less manpower, robots are now a welcome part of our daily life.”

Assistive Technology in Healthcare

The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that by 2030, there will be a global shortage of 18 million health workers. Small nations such as Singapore are vulnerable to the “three tsunamis” in healthcare, namely an aging population, a shrinking workforce, and an increase in chronic disease. The 65-and-over population is expected to have an increase by 25% in the next decade, which is a huge jump from 14% in 2019.

To boost productivity, CHART has enlisted the help of assistive technology and robotics. Among the best-known robots in the hospital are the surgical robots, such as the da Vinci Surgical System. They act as the human surgeon’s eyes with their assistance in minimally invasive surgeries. Other robots in the hospital clean, deliver linen or food, help with hospital maintenance, aid patient rehabilitation, and can even assist with lifting patients back into their beds.

“It’s quite common for our young nurses to get backaches two or three years into the job. Robots can do this dangerous, manual work so that our nurses then can concentrate on providing good clinical care for our patients,” said Seah, noting that the robots help reduce the back-breaking work that human carers do.

Improvements in Virtual Health Services

CGH has seen technology help improve virtual health services. Heart disease and diabetes are responsible for around 71% of global death each year. Seah says that non-communicable diseases add extra pressure to the already-strained healthcare system. CGH realized that repeat visits to the hospital from patients with chronic illnesses were not sustainable and so, the hospital adopted a smart “telecare” system. This system allows doctors to monitor patients who are at home and identify their issues early on.

The hospital has also employed social robots to provide care and companionship for elderly patients who have dementia by playing memory games and helping with group therapy. Seah particularly noted PARO, a social robot, helped in alleviating the stress and anxiety of dementia patients that the hospital was able to reduce its use of sedatives. “We thought the aged patients would not take well to the robots. However, we discovered in our research that elderly patients look at robots like life-sized toys. So they are brought back to their childhood and in fact, able to interact and respond better to therapy with robots than they do with a human,” she said.

Benefits of AI-Powered Employees in Hospitals

Aside from CGH, robots have also become a support staff in other hospitals around the world, namely the Copenhagen University Hospital and the Zealand University Hospital in Denmark. The robots helped in blood sample testing, as well as traveling more than 10 kilometers each week to deliver equipment, respectively.

Marcelo Ang, a professor of mechanical engineering at the National University of Singapore’s Advance Robotics Center stated, “Robotics has very good potential to make people’s lives more meaningful, by letting them not do the ‘five Ds’: degrading, demeaning, dirty, dangerous or driving tasks.” He also added that robots are not a replacement for human workers. Instead, they are a support. Robots can take on roles that are laborious or contribute to tasks that require high levels of precision.

The pandemic has sped up the development of robotics and logistics. Autonomous robots can clean and disinfect rooms, reducing the risks that healthcare workers face in their field. Technology has also helped in enabling doctors to meet patients virtually. With the growing demand for remote healthcare solutions, Hanson Robotics, a Hong Kong-based team, unveiled a human-like robot named Grace that can diagnose patients using AI and lead therapy sessions.

While there are numerous benefits to employing robotics in hospitals, Seah noted that integrating robots in the workplace is costly and requires expensive infrastructure. Concerns about data privacy and security were also raised; hospitals will need robust, fool-proof cybersecurity to prevent hacking sensitive patient information.

The challenges, especially in the pandemic, have made it worthwhile for CGH as it has given them an opportunity to increase efficiency and safety. “This is how we think we should use technology: to help us reach out to more patients so they get better-quality care,” Seah said.

If you thought “quadrupedal unmanned ground vehicles”, then you’re right. If you thought of a big robot with glowing eyes, you might be right, too.

Military robot dogs are also called Q-UGVs. They’re machines or vehicles with four legs like those of a dog and are usually semi-autonomous, but can be controlled by a human operator when needed. Unlike the usual robot dog meant for domestic use, these military bots are meant for accompanying military personnel in dangerous terrain.

Military-working dogs aren’t new by any means. The U.S. military employs dogs in almost all branches of their service and they’re trained in a lot of tasks that include tracking, patrol, and attack. Even in ancient history, dogs have been trained to fight alongside men in combat – so it’s not too surprising to find that technological advancements have robotized animal companionship too. 

That said, military robot dogs are a relatively new technology, which makes it all the more exciting to watch new developments unfold. 

Applications of Robotic Dogs

We’ve all seen companion robot dogs – fluffy little animals that are modeled after real puppies, barking and cuddling with their owners. Their main selling point is looking, sounding, and acting as close as possible to a pet dog, plus the benefit of a few tricks like singing or doing a backflip. 

But military robot dogs are something else entirely. Spot the Robot Dog is a good example – it looks more machine and less man’s best friend.

To be fair, these things weren’t meant to play fetch or beg for belly rubs. Boston Robotics created Spot for a broad range of field activities: navigating dangerous terrain, carrying and transporting heavy objects, and collecting data. It can even pick up objects with its jaws and pick itself up when it falls.

Spot is one of the few dog-like robots that can be hired to work at construction sites, for the military, and in warehouses. In fact, the U.S. army has recruited it – and as of December 2021 was training the dog in field simulations.

It also has plenty of features that make it a valuable asset to any army base. Spot has sensors that can detect nuclear materials. It can examine bombs. It can come to a human’s defense in a warzone by delivering supplies in other critical areas. Things like these aren’t typically found in your everyday robots and even other units of weapons-grade materials in the military and the latest innovations are bound to keep improving on them.

Some are even speculating about the attachment of weapons, such as a sniper rifle, to operate the dog on a battlefield, but there is no official confirmation that the army is taking such a measure in their service. The dog is, however, capable of performing a patrol in remote areas and unmanned ground, thanks to its world-class sensors.

Another example of a military working dog is the Vision 60, or the V60, by Ghost Robotics. Tyndall Air Force Base Master Sgt. Krystoffer Miller explains that the Air Force squadrons plan to expand their “optics of what is possible,” and that includes recruiting these machines for the purpose of enhancing situational awareness.

The V60 was also seen at the Nellis Airfields in 2020, so this isn’t the first time it has proven itself in the defense department and in military settings. The quality of the Ghost Robotics unit also makes it perfect for these services. 

The benefit of using robots over a real dog is apparent: in some ways, they’re able to withstand more damage and are more readily equipped to perform in dangerous areas. They are also capable of being programmed with non-conventional tactics. Plus, humans can operate them directly, making it easier to collect specific data on location.

“One huge attraction piece of the robot dogs is that it’s highly mobile and, with the amount of construction we will face over the next few years, it helps us maintain and increase our security posture,” Miller continued.

Ghost Robotics’ V60 is also being looked into by the U.S. Army in line with its ongoing surveillance efforts to ensure autonomous perimeter safety at its headquarters at the Nellis Air Force Base. 

How Do Military Robots Function?

The Tyndall Air Force Base is another military company that has employed a Q-UGV from Ghost Robotics and Immersive Wisdom. And no, they aren’t being used as a weapon. 

“As a mobile sensor platform, the Q-UGVs will significantly increase situational awareness for defenders,” according to Mark Shackley, Program Management Office at the Tyndall AFB.

The robots also have certain features that serve the interests of the company, such as:

• The ability to move rapidly or slowly, depending on what the situation calls for
• High-step mode that alters leg mobility
• Sensors that can capture a 360-degree picture
• Explosive ordnance disposal

The last one might be the most useful for military forces. Ghost Robotics and Immersive Wisdom have essentially created robots that can detect and even diffuse explosive devices in different locations using a much more precise technology than other sensors, or even a human bomb squad. This might be a sign we’ll see a squadron of robots working in a military company in the future.

Are They Putting Guns On Robot Dogs?

As we mentioned above, no robot dogs have been confirmed to be weapon carriers. But the personnel have been vague in this regard, saying that the future use “in other military terms” will be up to the buyer’s imagination. Does this mean that these dogs can engage targets, aiming at enemy camps with assault rifles mounted on their back? The future is uncertain.

How Does The Big Dog Robot Dog Work?

This is a common question when talking about military robots. Big Dog was a quadruped robot built and designed by Boston Dynamics and funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The project was scrapped because the dog was said to be too loud for combat. 

Watch the Ghost Robotics Dog in Action on Youtube

Recall a time you tried to move a couch with a friend or family member. Generally, such a task requires coordination and partnership (or teamwork if it’s a particularly sizable couch), pushing and pulling simultaneously in order to efficiently move the object. Cooperation is the key in order to move furniture without a hiccup, and it’s precisely why University of Cincinnati student Andrew Barth decided to use this simple task to test robot independence.

The experiment was conducted at the Intelligent Robotics and Autonomous Systems Lab at the University of Cincinnati under Ou Ma, an aerospace engineering professor.

A team of student researchers created an artificial intelligence that could train robots to move difficult objects, proving that they could work together. The idea was to move a couch, but for the experiment, the researchers made the robots move a long virtual rod through different obstacles. If they were able to move the object through those obstacles and out a virtual door, then the experiment would be successful.

A More Robust System

Moving a couch seems simple enough. If humans were to do it, we would probably devise a plan beforehand: scope out the room, identify difficult points, and come up with the best strategy to move the piece of furniture without delay. The moving process would also require verbal communication — cues like “1, 2, 3” or commands like “Push!” make the job easier.

But these UC doctorate students wanted to ensure that their algorithm was strong enough to withstand any potential problems, which is why they tested the robots’ cooperation skills with as little communication as possible among the machines. There were no plans devised among the two robots and no communication during the moving process.

Instead, the robots relied on fuzzy logic, an intelligent control technology that replicates how a person would make decisions when faced with situations that go beyond a clear binary. This means that robots have self-regulation in the same way humans do: they can identify mistakes and learn from them, adjusting their decisions as they go along. By replacing a simple yes-or-no binary with artificial intelligence that recognizes the degrees of truth between certain variables (like right or wrong), the robots are able to make sound choices in any given scenario.

This method paid off. The robots were successful 95% of the time in completing the task. They were able to move the rod or “couch” through two virtual obstacles and out the door.

But an even more important measurement was how well the robot partners navigated a completely new scenario without any re-programming or re-training. In this regard, the robots were able to complete the job 93% of the time in simulations. Even when other variables were altered, such as the size of the “couch,” the machines showed almost equal success.

“If you can train robots to work semi-independently with as little information as possible, then you made your system more robust to that failure and made it easier for large groups to collaborate,” says Andrew Barth, a UC College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Ph.D. student.

Barth has also published a study on this project for the Intelligent Service Robotics journal, co-authored by Professor Ma, Ph.D. student Yufeng Sun, and Lin Zhang, senior research associate.

Scalability

The idea behind these robot partners is to create scalable and sustainable artificial intelligence in almost any scenario.

“Ultimately, we want to expand this to 10 or more robots working cooperatively on a project,” Barth adds. “If you want to build a gigantic habitat in space, say, you’ll need a lot of robots working together. But if you were relying on a communications network and it goes down, then your whole project is done.”

Since the robots can also work semi-independently, they can continue the job even when one robot on the team malfunctions or comes across a problem.

The same is true for the reverse: whether you add two robots or four into the mix, they can quickly adapt and perform without the need for retraining, making the technology scalable, a must for any big project.

The larger vision is to create a team of robots that can work cooperatively. Nowadays, most robots are increasingly capable, but they also work alone. According to Professor Ma, the future needs to see robots working together as people do.

In Lexington, Kentucky, students of the University of Kentucky were treated to a robot-led dining experience on campus. Alongside Starship Technologies, the UK has successfully launched the university’s first-ever robot food delivery service.

A group of 30 on-demand robots is now able to deliver food from any of the seven on-campus eateries, including Auntie Anne’s, Starbucks, and Subway, all of which are accessible through the Starship Food Delivery app which is available on Android and iOS. Apart from the food retailers, one is also able to use credit cards, the Plus Account, and Flex dollars, which are all compatible with the Starship app.

Standing two feet tall and running on six wheels, the Starship robots are mini-vehicles able to carry and deliver up to 20 lbs. of goods. Their size allows them to move quickly through different paths in order to successfully deliver customers’ orders.

Exploring the Future of Dining and Deliveries

But the University of Kentucky is not the first campus in the United States to employ the robot food delivery service for on-campus food retailers. In fact, Starship has partnered with 18 schools across the country to provide the cutting-edge autonomous food delivery program. Some of these campuses include Purdue University, University of California, Los Angeles, Northern Arizona University, and Arizona State University.

According to Ryan Tuohy, SVP of the Business Development and Sales at Starship Technologies, bringing the robot delivery service to Kentucky was an important next step.

“UK has a significant impact that extends throughout the state and beyond. We can’t wait to meet all the students on campus and introduce this new technology. We’re confident our robots are going to be warmly accepted and that the students will love the convenience of on-demand delivery,” he stated.

The delivery usually only takes a few minutes. Through the Starship app, users can select their choice of food and beverage at the available stores, drop their pin location, and monitor the progress of their order. They can also track the status of the delivery through the in-app interactive map that shows them where the robot delivery is at the moment. Once their delivery arrives, users will be alerted through the app and can then receive their orders. Waiting time depends on the distance between the store and the person who ordered, but it usually only takes a few minutes to fulfill.

In order to promote the highest health and safety standards, each vehicle is sanitized at the end of each business day when they return to their warehouse. During the day, UK Dining personnel are also on standby in case something has spilled inside the robot in order to clean it up before it moves on to the next order.

“We have been working with UK Dining on this project for over a year now. It’s great to see the robots delivering across campus. We are pleased to offer such a great service to the students, faculty, and staff of the UK,” interim executive director of the Gatton Student Center Scott Henry told news outlets during the release.

A Green Solution

The Starship robots are zero-emission vehicles, which means their engines and motors emit no waste that can contribute to environmental pollution. Their small size also allows them to stay on sidewalks instead of on the main roads where busy streets are congested with private cars and last-mile delivery vans.

These small autonomous robots use a mix of artificial intelligence and machine learning in order to navigate sidewalks and safely maneuver around obstacles along the way. The vehicles are designed to travel through harsh climates, rain or snow, day or night. With computer-vision-based navigation systems that can map and store their surroundings down to the nearest inch, the robot cars are able to complete more than 80,000 road crossings every single day. They can also carry around 20 lbs., which is equivalent to roughly three bags of goods.

Starship Technologies aims to expand its food delivery service across the country and to include not just food orders but other consumable goods as well.