Robot Advantages And Disadvantages: In the modern world of technological advancements, we have access to a lot of devices that make our work easy with savings of time and energy. So it is a good option to design robots to perform activities that are usually done by humans in large factories or organizations. It is wise and logical to use robotic automation for repetitive and laborious tasks in industries leading to higher productivity, quality output, and a safe working environment. But there are various advantages as well as disadvantages associated with the application of robots in the manufacturing and service sectors.
Students can also find more Advantages and Disadvantages articles on events, persons, sports, technology, and many more.
What are Robots? Advantages and Disadvantages of Robots 2022
In today’s world, technology gives us numerous opportunities to shape our lives in various ways that lead to comfort, convenience, and efficiency. The concept of robots comes into the picture when we start using the power of technology to replace humans, especially for routine and difficult tasks. A robot is a mechanical device that is controlled by computer programs to carry out various functions. Robots can perform tasks very fast with accuracy and are effective in repetitive, time-consuming, and efficiency-dependent tasks. The people and society that would use this technology must consider its effects on human lives so that it can be used judiciously to bring an improvement to society. Robots are going to be part of human life in the coming days.
- Advantages of Robots
- Disadvantages of Robots
- Comparison Table for Advantages and Disadvantages of Robots
- FAQ’s on Robot Advantages And Disadvantages
Advantages of Robots
- Cost-Effectiveness: Robots can be set to work on a repetitive cycle continuously without any break thereby increasing the production rate. This results in higher output that helps in the recovery of cost and makes profits further.
- Improved Quality Assurance; Manual involvement in repetitive tasks may affect concentration levels and can lead to errors and quality failures. Robotic automation eliminates these risks by accurately producing and checking items as per specified standards. Products manufactured with more precision and consistent quality create new business possibilities for companies.
- Increased Productivity; Robotic automation can tackle repetitive tasks more efficiently than humans as robots are designed to do the same without any fatigue or break. The introduction of robots into the manufacturing process can have tangible productivity benefits.
- Reduced Wastage: The use of robots in the manufacturing process ensures fewer quality deviations which means there will be no material wastage due to failures or non-standard products.
- Work In Hazardous Environments: Workers in particular industries may need to work in unsuitable or dangerous environments that lead to health issues and safety risks. Automated robots can be designed and deployed to work in any environment without posing any risk to organizations and their workforce.
- Consistency; Once programmed, robots can carry on with the same repetitive work with the same perfection for a long period thereby ensuring consistency in the production workflow and output.
- Long Working Hours: Robots are machines that can be run for long hours if maintained properly. But humans can’t work continuously after a certain time that may lead to the risk of fatigue, injury, and other issues.
- Motivated workforce: Robotic automation results in relieving the workforce from routine, laborious work and engaging them in other tasks that allow them to expand their skills. This will create a better environment from which the business as a whole will benefit. With higher energy levels and more focus on their work, the performance can only improve, which will also lead to business growth.
Disadvantages of Robots
- Potential Job Losses: One of the biggest concerns surrounding the introduction of robots is the impact on workers who may suffer job loss. Considering a robot can give output at a faster rate with more consistency and perfection, there may be no need for human intervention in the future for certain activities.
- Investment Costs: Organizations have to deal with the high investment cost involved in robotic automation. It includes the cost in terms of installation, maintenance, extra components, and programming. Robotic automation also needs a constant power supply that involves extra cost. A comprehensive study must be done when considering the implementation of this technology because the cash flow must be sustainable till the stability of the company is established for generating returns.
- Hiring Skilled Staff: The introduction of automation with robots requires expert personnel skilled with knowledge of sophisticated programming, operations, and maintenance. An automation company can assist with the initial installation and set-up process, but other staffs are to be trained to manage the system in the long term.
- No analytical ability: Although robots can be superior to humans in some ways, they don’t have the power to think, analyze and create by taking information from their surroundings. Robots are best suitable for certain specific tasks to save time and labor, not much beyond that. They are dependent on humans who program them for specific tasks. Although artificial intelligence and machine learning are creating major advancements, there is a limiting factor in the application of robots.
- Over-dependence on technology: As robots start playing a major role in our daily lives, people may become dependent on this technology which may result in the introduction of more features in robots to make our life easier. This can harm the human lifestyle with fewer interactions and movements. Moreover, in case of any failures or breaks in the automated system due to technical fault, the entire workflow gets severely impacted in absence of any backup plan.
Comparison Table for Advantages and Disadvantages of Robots
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Increase efficiency: Robots can be used to perform tasks quickly with higher accuracy and consistency. This helps automation of processes that usually takes more time and resources. | Higher Cost: Robotic automation needs high investments for installation and maintenance. It requires a continuous power supply to function that involves cost. The cost involved in programming the software is also significant. |
| Replace humans: Robots can be used in tasks that are difficult for humans to handle. Robots can work continuously and give better productivity than humans. | Unemployment: If robots are engaged on a large scale across industries, then many skillful workers would lose their job as robots continue to replace humans in labor-intensive work. |
| Handle repetitive work: Some tasks that are considered laborious and repetitive can be handled easily by robots without fatigue and break. | Over Dependence: Use of robots for personal purposes may lead to a mechanical lifestyle because humans hardly perform any task on their own and become lazy and unproductive. |
| Improve working conditions: Working conditions can be improved and the safety hazards can be reduced within factories and production lines by introducing industrial robots. | Lack of creativity and emotions: Robots are not a viable option where analytical and creative abilities are required. Robots can never interact like humans when used in various personalized services; the human touch will be always missing. |
FAQ’s on Robot Advantages And Disadvantages
Question 1.
How are robots advantageous over humans in factories?
Answer:
Robots can work continuously without any break, at a much faster rate, producing consistent and standard output which may not be possible by humans.
Question 2.
Why does robotic automation involve high costs?
Answer:
The robot automation process requires sophisticated equipment, software, power backup, and the involvement of skilled personnel for operation and maintenance all of which increase the cost.
Question 3.
Can robots be successful in personalized services?
Answer:
Robots may not be recommended for personalized services as they lack human touch and interaction.