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The positive and Negative Effects of Development of Robots

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Introduction

The concept of development of autonomous robots will affect both low skilled and white collar

jobs. The technological revolution will affect both skilled and unskilled jobs. Robots have come

to fill space previously occupied by humans in the job market. This highlights the need to

understand the gap that will come by as autonomous robots come to play. Use of robots is

embraced in relatively all fields. For instance, their application can be traced in fields such as

fraud detection, medical diagnostics, auditing and legal research just to name but a few. This

calls for governments across the globe to rethink the way forward and collaborate with all

stakeholders to develop pre-employment and post-employment training institutions to counter

any negative effects that may come with automated robots while embracing the positive impacts

associated with their use (Karsten & West, 2015). . Education is one field where autonomous

robots, may take center stage as they will replace teachers in class. The public policy has to

change if at all the changes that come with robots are to take place in a sustainable way. The high

returns to investors notwithstanding, it is imperative to acknowledge that, the concept of

autonomous robots has both negative and positive effect alike

Positive effects

Robots are an essential element when it comes to precision and speed in the medical

field. Medical experts rely on robots when carrying out medical procedures to eliminate chances

of errors and allow faster administration of procedures. Robots also play a crucial role in the

development of artificial organs. Patients will remain safer, and chances to live will be higher

given the robotic ability to minimize errors. Hospitals which have implemented the approach will

be in a position to offer evidence-based treated and in the event meet patients expectations.
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The robots perform microscopic surgery with the highest precision possible. Humans

tend to fail in such procedures posing a risk to human life. For instance, urologic, head and neck

surgeries require greater reach and flexibility, and as such, the up to point incisions tailored

through robotics precisions make this possible. More often than not, patients lose a life during

surgeries owing to errors doctors make during different medical procedures. Robots eliminate

such instances while at the same time increasing patients chance to live.

Robots are used to create a friendlier environment for both patients and staff. For

example, many hospitals have been grappling with Hospital-acquired infections such as MRSA.

Such infections are cited as leading causes of deaths in the US with statistics indicating that one

out if every 25 patients are at risk of contracting HAI. The infections further lead to extra cost in

treatment to a tune of 30 billion dollars annually. Xenex Inc from Texas designed a robot which

makes use of high-intensity ultraviolet light to carry out disinfection in an efficient and faster

process (Zurich & Nelson, 2017). The machine is capable of destroying cellular composition of

microorganisms, unlike other human-operated devices. In any case, the hospital staff will carry

out their duties without the fear that their patients may contract secondary infection within their

facilities. The financial cost that comes with such infections will be eliminated.

The concept of Telepresence comes in handy where physicians want to examine and treat

patients in remote areas. This is only possible where robots are available. The approach is

coordinated through a call between caregivers and a physician. The physician answers questions

and guides a therapy from anywhere via a robot (Beasley, 2012). Such robot use navigation

capabilities made possible by ER and superior cameras to carry out physical examinations. The

patients will be at an advantage since the cost associated with a long stay in hospitals will be a

thing of the past. Robots facilitate home-based care, and without their input, this approach will
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not be possible. Patients, doctors, and caregivers collaborate effectively with the help of robots

and in the event achieve better results.

People with disabilities acquire improved mobility, coordination and strength further

improving the quality of their life. Rehabilitation robots are used to improve quality of life for

such individuals. The robots are designed in such a way that they fit the conditions of each

patient (Crawford, 2016). For example, individuals with spinal injury, stroke and traumatic brain

injuries get customized robots. This will ensure the patient's comfort is enhanced by reducing

pain and increasing their flexibility.

Robots are highly beneficial in industrial application. They are efficient, accurate and

work long hours without getting tired. This leads to a reduction in production cost. Low cost of

production maximizes profits for the firm while at the same time passing the benefits to

consumers by reducing the price of goods. The long-term benefits of using robot surpass the

initial set up the cost. It easy to invest in one-off fee in the purchase of robots since the return on

investment is high. Human labor has limitations in the sense that they get bored easily by doing

one activity repeatedly. Human error is eliminated in the sense that, robots perform their task

with accuracy and faster. Further, the robots can work throughout the day and night without

getting tired (Soffar, 2016). Taking into consideration the breaks, vacations and sleep that

humans will always ask for in the course of their work, it is evident that robots are efficient. The

wasted hours are converted into productivity by replacing human labor with robots, and as such,

the organizations realize better returns.

Robots can produce output with precision and repeatability. They can follow

specification to the point and in the event achieve the desired quality. The approach ensures
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customer satisfaction through the production of goods that have high returns to the society.

Robots use lower space during installation and operation an element that reduces the need to

invest in rental fees. The level of waste in raw materials is reduced considerably due to high

levels of accuracy. Also, robots can perform multiple tasks ranging from material handling,

cutting, palletizing and dispensing (Davidow & Malone, 2014). Such benefits are way beyond

human capabilities.

Robots are beneficial to a scientific field that deals with space and underwater

exploration. For instance, NASA uses robots to explore and collect feedback from space. They

use the information to carry out investigations that will lead to new inventions.

Robots are used in the military field to explore dangerous battle areas. Humans are exposed to

high-level risks during wartime. Human life is precious, and the use of robots comes in handy to

reinstate such. For example, military use drones to map areas where terrorist have invaded (Chu,

2017). The information collected is then used to strategize on how to flush them out.

Robots are used to handle dangerous tasks in the military. For example, the Daksh robot

is used to access, handle and explode dangerous objects. Substances such as bombs pose a risk to

human life, but with the help of robots, they are exploded safely. The robot is capable of

climbing risky and steep areas such as tall walls which would be a challenge to human beings.

Further, it has a portable x-ray device to scan objects (Army of Robots, 2017). MARCbot is used

to inspect objects perceived dangerous.

Negative effects of Robots

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Use of automated robots has a negative effect on the job market. The ability of such

machines to work faster and more efficiently has seen people lose jobs. This destroys their

livelihoods since it even becomes hard to get employment opportunities elsewhere. For instance,

a robot would render an elevator operator and a highway toll collector jobless. In the healthcare

sector, all the operations whether surgical or otherwise would have been performed by a human

being without the introduction of robots (Qureshi & Syed, 2014). Discovery of robots has seen

many of these experts lose jobs or seek jobs elsewhere. In real essence, the robotic technology

will substitute labor leading to an adverse effect on middle-class incomes. The ultimate effect

here is that robotic technology destroys jobs for the majority while creating few and better ones

for a limited number of people (West, 2015). Governments across the globe have been working

on policies to reduce inequality, but with the introduction of robots, this will be far from reach.

The use of robots by the military may pose ethical challenges. Such application during

war times leads to mass killings of civilians. The robots have no system to establish a distinction

between civilians and enemy troops. Therefore, the use of robots is an ethical issue that needs to

be solved. Further, a question arises as to whether killing the enemy troops in masses justifies the

use of robots. Human life should be treated as equal whether it belongs to enemy troops or

friendly ones. Some rules and standards guide any troops engaged in a war which should be

followed whether using drones or not. This highlights the need for designing new rules of

engagement where robots are in use.

The creation of robots meant for military increases financial allocation for the army since

they require a huge investment. This has a negative effect on the taxpayer. For instance,

according to statistics, the budgetary allocation for US military in 2001 was $316 billion but

doubled to $617 by the year 2010. The government should rather spend the money on other
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developmental projects such as education, health, and infrastructure which stand out as more

beneficial than investing in robots. The taxpayers will have to dig deeper into their pockets to

cater for such an expense.

The use of robots to care for elderly causes disconnect between them and the rest of

society. The elderly need care and attention which can only come from fellow human beings.

The many benefits they accrue from the use of robots notwithstanding, the lack of human touch

in the entire system is a point of concern. The machines will reduce the physical activity of the

users in the sense that they became too dependent on the robots. The use of such machines

increases stress due to lack of social interaction with other members of society. It is even

unethical for humans to delegate their duty of caring for the elderly to robots (Shiomi, Kamei,

Lio, Sharma, & Hagita, 2015). It is not the expectation of the elderly to receive such treatment

either.

The application of robots cannot take every cognitive aspect that human beings can

undertake. For instance, human beings can reason, use innovation and creativity to change the

direction of a faulty undertaking. This is a limitation that robots will never overcome since they

only act according to instruction that is installed as programs. Therefore, as much they ensure

precision and accuracy they cannot improve quality of products. In many ways, the world is not

perfect and operates at the mercy of circumstances. For example, during the process of

production, a breakdown in the chain may occur. In any case, the robots will not be able to detect

such instances.

The aspect of emotions and conscience can only be attributed to humans. Robots do not

embrace empathy and as such the impact they have during interaction with humans is limited.
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For example, in a scenario where a robot is placed in a bank to serve clients, the customers may

fail to get all their concerns addressed by the machines and in the event feel dissatisfied.

Robots cannot determine what is right or wrong and as such it will be difficult for them to

maintain the values the society would wish to practice. For instance, they cannot distinguish

between a civilian and a terrorist. The international community would have to come in and set

new rules of war whenever robots are used. ( Chu, 2017). Robots may never understand such

language.

It is worth noting that the same concept used by armies to destroy criminals can be used

by the criminals to inflict pain on soldiers. Some criminals have access to sophisticated robots,

and this element possesses a challenge to governments and law enforcement agents. It then

becomes a real struggle between different and opposing sides. The impact places society at

crossroads since they have no choice but to wait and see the winning side. In any case, where

criminals have sophisticated robots than law enforcement personnel, the society will be at a loss.

Every individual is entitled to their privacy, but such principle is violated where robots

come to play. For instance, drones used to collect information in military or wildlife surveillance

may invade private space. They collect information and images of everything they come across.

This aspect makes the idea more complicated since no one knows how such information is used

or disposed of by those who come across it (Chu, 2017). There is no law to govern how such

cases should be treated putting the affected on the receiving end.

Robots use many transistors that operate from microprocessor chip. These elements and

working parts of robots will become smaller day by day as manufacturers work to make robots

more advanced. Increasing computing power further increases the energy needed to operate the
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same. In the long run, as parts become smaller and smaller it will prove difficult to recycle. This

will adversely affect the environment.

Robots may take the position of teachers in class. The students will have to bear with the

possibility where robots will give them instructions. This will be a difficult situation since the

learners will not be able to ask questions whenever they do not understand concepts. This will be

a tall order for parents as the personal touch that has always existed between a teacher, and a

learner will no longer exist.

In conclusion, it is evident that robots have both negative and positive impact attributed

to their usage. The benefits go a long way in helping human beings achieve their objectives and

goals in life at a faster rate and with precision. Such technology comes in handy in almost all

sectors of the economy. The rate of automation sooner or later will take over almost all human

tasks. As much as there are notable benefits, the negative impacts that come with the use of

robots cannot be overemphasized. The most stunning thing is that most of the negative effects

seem to have no counter-strategy in place. This may beg the question whether we are heading in

the right direction. Different nations should engage all stakeholders to come up with a

framework that will guide the use and application of robotic technology. Negligence of this

approach will prove detrimental going forward. Therefore, the need to rethink of all the negative

and positive effects will be necessary to find a balance between the two. Human nature is

inclined into taking advantage of immediate benefits that come with innovations. However, since

most of the negative effects will take a while before humans see the full impact, it is imperative

that all necessary precautions are taken into account. This means future generations will be the

most affected. Stakeholders need to come in and take charge of the situation before it gets out of

hand and spill over to generations to come. The public policy has to change to accommodate the
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new developments as it is evident that human beings have to rethink how work, play and rest in

the era of autonomous robots.

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