Industrial Automation Magazine India

Human VS Robot Can they Co-exits?

Published on : Thursday 01-08-2019

Is mankind headed to a new conflict zone?

No, not with any imaginary alien force, but its own creation, the army of robots? In late June 2019, Oxford Economics, a leader in global forecasting and quantitative analysis, released a report titled How Robots Change The World. The sub title is more specific – What Automation Really Means for Jobs and Productivity. Researched by a team of economists, econometricians, modellers and technology experts from across their worldwide network of over 250 analysts, the study analyses the robotics phenomenon, and paints, what at first reading appears a rather gloomy picture predicting manufacturing job losses to the tune of 20 million by 2030. The report even has a specific number – each new industrial robot eliminates 1.6 manufacturing jobs, on average. But one need not jump to any hasty conclusion. One of the highlights of the report also says that robots’ rise also boosts growth, generating new jobs at a pace comparable with those wiped out!

Industrial Automation invited the views of professionals in the field to some specific points and the general consensus is nothing sensational. In fact, even the Oxford Economics report is not really alarmist – it is quite comprehensive, looking at regional imbalances even in advanced economies. As the report cautions, this should not lead policy-makers to slow the adoption of robotic technology. Instead the focus should be to use the robotics dividend to help those in vulnerable regions ready themselves for the major upheaval ahead. The report ends calling for a framework of action from policy-makers, business leaders, technology companies, educators and workers to navigate the challenges and opportunities that robots will bring.

Boon or a threat?

Are robots a boon or a threat to human beings, especially when it comes to jobs?

“Every machine that has been introduced to automate mundane and tedious manual jobs has been treated with scepticism – automobiles replacing horses; mechanised-looms replacing artisans; computerised accounting software replacing conventional book-keeping. However, historically it has been established, each ‘robot’ or automated machine/process has only lead to creation of multiple new jobs,” says Anuj Bihani, Managing Director, Alstrut India Private Limited. The Chennai-based company has a pan Indian network offering automation and collaborative robot services.

Said Zahrai, Head – Innovation at Business Unit Robotics – ABB, feels any kind of advancements in the society will transform life, and thereby even job structure, and robots are not different. “In the same way that use of smart phones has influenced how many businesses are run, robots influence how physical processing of material happens; it can be manufacturing, waste handling or any other processes. I expect all changes to be in the positive direction leading to a better balanced society, where resources can be moved from more physical work to other branches as medical and elderly care, education, entertainment, information, etc,” emphasises Zahrai.

Toronto-based Aseem Prakash, AI Business Strategist, Center for Innovating the Future, feels every job is being and will be affected. “Robots are augmenting humans as well as replacing humans. You have an industrial arm supporting workers on the assembly line in one situation and in another situation, the same or a different robotic arm is acting independently – without any or little human input. The context is defining how organisations are using robots, with and without humans,” says Prakash.

There is yet another perspective. “In 1900, 40 per cent of all employment was on farms. Today, it’s less than two per cent. Why are there so few farmers today? It’s not because we are eating less. A century of productivity growth in farming means that now a couple of million farmers can feed a whole nation,” says Aswath Suresh, Autonomous Driving Software Engineer, Leidos Inc. “Many of the industries in which we now work – health and medicine, finance and insurance, electronics and computing – were tiny or barely existent a century ago. Many of the products that we spend  a lot of our money on – air conditioners, sports vehicles, the computer and mobile devices – just hadn’t been invented a century ago.As automation frees out time, increase the scope of what is possible, we invent new products, new ideas, new services that command our attention, occupy our time and spur consumption,” he adds.

“Contrary to what all the sci-fi movies suggest, robots are not a threat to humans, and when it comes to jobs, robots will create more opportunity and better jobs for people. Just like in the industrial revolution over a hundred years ago, the use of machines improved the quality of life and the type of jobs people performed. Robots will help us do the same,” says Justin Baird, Robotic Performance Consultant, Hanson Robotics Limited

There are jobs robots cannot do                 

Is the robots-taking-jobs argument exaggerated, as there are still jobs waiting to be filled?

“I read a report that Germany, which is among countries with highest installed robots base, could lack 3 million skilled workers by 2030. If the theory of robots taking human jobs is true, then countries with high robots must have highest employment as well,” opines Hari Nidamarthy, Promoter, APEXIZ, an engineering services company based in Hyderabad. “Moreover, I don't think robots are taking human jobs – at least for now – as the expertise on the subject is still inside the human brain,” adds Hari, who has worked in Sweden for 9 years and has a master’s degree in Industrial Automation from Sweden.

In fact none of the respondents agree with the robots-taking-jobs proposition, and the ATM example was quoted by a few of them. “When ATMs were first introduced, bank tellers feared losing their jobs, but that is not what happened in reality. Bank tellers were freed from routine money dispensing activities to pursue other aspects of banking, resulting in ever increasing employment as the number of bank branches, their customers and their associated services grew,” emphasises Harish Chandraprakasam, Head, M D Malles Automated and Robotic Systems Pvt Ltd. “Similarly, as the manufacturing sector grows and new technologies are introduced, there in a demand for qualified people to fill in jobs. As such the robots-taking-jobs is an exaggerated argument and there are always jobs waiting to be filled by the right people,” he stresses.

Per Sjöborg, Founder, Aptomica AB, Sweden, also feels the fears are highly exaggerated. “Ask anyone who has tried to automate anything and it becomes clear that robots will need human guidance in many situations for a very long time. Robotics and automation will play a larger and larger role, but mainly as a tool for humans rather than as a replacement of them,” asserts Sjöborg, whose company aims to rent out everything in modular robotics that one needs to build whatever can be imagined. He is also the host of Robots in Depth, an interview show with everyone in robotics and AI, on YouTube.

“The jobs-taking argument arises with every Industrial Revolution. Industry 4.0 is no exception. ATMs did not reduce the number of bank tellers, which exploded due to lower operating costs and therefore more branch offices; but just like the onset of AI, expect to see job changes, not necessarily job losses. Simplicity is going to be the key to take all existing operators along,” says Pradeep David, General Manager, South Asia, Universal Robots A/S. Heading the operation in the Indian sub-continent for Universal Robots, the pioneer and first mover in the cobots revolution, Pradeep has a ringside view of the developments in the segment.

His namesake, Pradeep Shoran, General Manager Sales & Marketing, KUKA India Pvt Ltd, has a similar take. “In the future, monotonous, strenuous and hazardous tasks can be performed by machines, thereby easing the load on human workers. Moreover, many new jobs will be created, e.g., in the fields of technology and IT. We envisage the human worker being the centre point of the Smart Factory. He will be supported in his work by robots,” says Pradeep Shoran. But he also emphasises the training aspect, as according to him, with advancements in digitisation, the topic of continuing education will play a significant role in the future. “KUKA is already highly active in this respect and through the KUKA Academy offers every employee comprehensive opportunities for further education,” he adds.

Rajan David, Chief Executive Officer – Ross & Mount India (P) Ltd, concurs. As an experienced Industrial Leader with demonstrated history in handling machinery and engineering business offers, he too stresses the safety angle. “Robots are deployed in areas with hazardous environment and where human safety is at risk,” he says. As for the exaggerated fears, Rajan feels the feeling is natural in a transition period. “Take the case of a typist getting replaced by a system operator, the latter is 100 per cent efficient and productive. This opened the doors of banks in rural areas with less staff and an ATM. Once the custom robot finishes the routine job, along with its operator, the productivity will be a minimum

of 10-fold higher. This brings the product with affordable costs, hence a higher market penetration. Robots are deployed to ensure higher productivity not to hinder the job opportunities,” says Rajan.

Adapting to new roles

In such a rapidly changing scenario, the agility to adapt to changed circumstances is critical. While robots are fast adapting to new roles, are their human counterparts slow in doing so?

“Humans are the smartest machines on this planet, and humans have made the robots and drones in order to make life peaceful and relaxed for future generations, which may lead to laziness in human society which leads to unemployment. This is especially true as robots are adapting to each and every role that is designated by human beings with more precision and accuracy than humans can achieve. For the next few years this might not make much impact but in for a long run humans have to accelerate themselves to compete with the robot’s efficiency,” says Thameem Fowzan, Robotics Technical Lead (Humanoid), Centre of Digital Excellence (CODE). As a Robotics Consultant, Thameem is facilitating skilled employees in robotics starups in India to finish their prototypes and make them commercially successful. He is managing a robotics forum on LinkedIn, which paves way for many budding roboticists.

Sandeep Manchanda, Managing Director, Robspray Technology Systems Private Limited, concurs. “Humans have to adapt new roles to improve productivity and efficiency by developing multitasking skills and working towards innovation to create logical framework with more advanced engineering,” says Sandeep, who has more than 25-year experience in the field of robotic automation in FMCG and automotive sectors.

For Said Zahrai, robots are taking new roles because human makes them so. “The intelligence behind is that of human. What the phrase 'artificial intelligence' refers to is actually a mathematical algorithm, made by an intelligent human and does not include any intelligence,” he says.

“Unlike humans that can do almost anything, robot are made with specific application in mind. They are made to give better results than existing resources. They can be humans or they can even be other robots. But as said earlier, they are still tools in the hands of experts for executing the tasks effectively,” says Hari Nidamarthy.

“Robots are adapting fast to new roles – and completely different kinds of roles. Conventional visualisation of a robot is a human like device which takes away the mechanical task of a human, typically deployed in an industrial environment. Humans using ‘industrial robots’ in industrial (business) environment may not be adapting to such robots as fast as they should; however, the behaviour of the same humans when it comes to deploying ‘service robots’ is completely different. They have quickly accepted multiple service robots such as automated vacuum cleaners, cloud-based virtual assistants such as Alexa, Google, Siri, roti-makers, vending-machines, amongst many others. With the new generation being more receptive to such automated/robotic tools in their lives, it is going to be a matter of time when industrial robots will start getting deployed as fast as the service robots,” elaborates Anuj Bihani.

Slow adoption in India

Compared to the advanced economies, robot penetration in India is still low. Will there be a dramatic change in the near future? “Countries like India are in a tricky situation. On one hand, it is a developing economy with a huge population. People need work. The country needs to grow and take people forward. On the other hand, robots are already ready (or will be soon) to do any job. Technology is central to achieving growth and competitive advantage,” says Aseem Prakash, analysing the dilemma. How should India balance the two? “Develop a new, solid and clear vision. When such a vision is ready, it will become clear how to take people forward while taking advantage of robots,” he suggests.

Aswath Suresh agrees with this assessment. “There will be a dramatic change in the near future. With the advancement of robotics education in India, automation is entering the technical industrial space at a faster pace than ever before. As employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in this field are opening up for science and technology enthusiasts, the future of automation in India seems bright and fruitful,” he asserts. There is also the question of returns on investment, always a major issue in a country like India with its surplus labour and high capital expenditure of investing in automation. What is perfect strategy in a developed country like South Korea, which has the highest robot density per 10,000 employees, may not make sense in India at the moment.

“Economically, the growth of robots world-wide is not uniform in terms of RoI compared to technologies like AI, IoT, Blockchain, etc. Because robotics is the toughest platform when compared to all other technologies which are trending now and here we have to concentrate on hardware, software, algorithm development, service, maintenance, etc. So to have a robotics startup very high investment is needed with a long-incubation process and a team which is technically sound. At the moment India does not have this kind of expertise in robotics that can make a prototype and take it to the market to make it a commercial success. But yes, there are a few startups which are trying to make difference in the robotics industry in India in terms of autonomous vehicles and drones, so let us hope for the best outcome in the next few years,” elaborates Fowzan Thameem.

“The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed,” says Justin Baird. As mentioned earlier, Justin is a consultant with Hanson Robotics, the company which has built a worldwide reputation for creating robots that look and act genuinely alive, including the renowned Sophia humanoid robot. “Most people would be shocked to see how automated some warehouse facilities are. There are specialised robots and machines working in warehouses that supplant human work already, but we don’t see this in the public, yet. Soon enough, especially in the area of autonomous vehicles, the public will begin to see this new reality and this will bring home the dramatic change in awareness of these technologies,” adds Justin.

Living in harmony

The final of this virtual roundtable is, will man and robot co-exist in harmony? With all the sci-fi movies screening thrillers based on the theme of human-robot confrontation, the average person has developed some preconceived notions on the subject. Bad things make news, become viral, good developments have to be understood in the proper context and the common man usually is too busy for that. “Robots are already a part of our lives. A robot, to put it in simple terms, is merely a machine which can be programmed to carry out a complex series of actions. If you have ever used an ATM, you have already interacted with a robot. This situation is not from science fiction or years into the future. It is here right now, in the present,” says Harish Chandraprakasam.

For Sandeep Manchanda too, the answer is a simple yes. “Today we have the collaborative robots or cobots which are working with humans in a collaborative way,” he says. “It’s happening already. With 35,000+ cobots deployed by Universal Robots, the pioneers and leaders in collaborative robots, human robot collaboration is alive and well. Even at MSMEs in India,” concurs Pradeep David.

But is there a possibility of some freak chance of a robot going rogue and lead to an unpleasant situation that threatens this mutual co-existence? Unlikely. “If robots will not co-exist with humans in the way we like them to, we will redesign them to do so,” says Per Sjöborg, matter-of-factly. Aseem Prakash has in fact registered a trademark for the term. “Coexisting With Robots^TM is the most fundamental shift since the dawn of humanity. Humans have never coexisted with another advanced intelligence before. And, this advanced intelligence – called robots – has not arrived for a short duration or to observe only. It is ready to do any job and work that humans have done, are doing and will be doing. This changes everything,” he says. Aseem also works on ALGOTIENT^TM – the new IQ that humans will need to survive and succeed in the algorithmic age that is coming from and reaching all corners of the world.

“Dream of a world where our engineers develop highly affordable robots, which can assist us in domestic tasks. We will be gifted with clean environment, roads, pavements, etc. The surroundings filled with trees, watered routinely using domestic waste water. The mechanisation of its highest degree assisting us to make our earth a paradise,” says Rajan David, adding another view.

“KUKA’s goal is to have people and robots collaborating. Human-robot Collaboration (HRC) is revolutionising industrial production and manufacturing in the factory of the future,” says Pradeep Shoran. “In HRC, the robot assists the human operator, meaning that the machine does not replace the human, but complements his capabilities and relieves him of hazardous tasks. In the factory of the future, there is no separation between automated and manual workstations. Humans and robots collaborate optimally – without separation and without safety fencing,” he concludes.

(Note: The responses of various experts featured in this story are their personal views and not necessarily of the companies or organisations they represent. The full interviews are hosted online at https://www.iedcommunications.com/interviews)