ROBOTS all set to move beyond the factory. I reckon all those who can afford, need to consider adopting one.
TODAY'S ROBOTS perform safety checks at industrial plants, conduct quality control in manufacturing, and are even starting to keep hospital patients company.
But soon - perhaps very soon - these increasingly human-like machines will handle more sophisticated tasks, freeing up people while raising complex questions about the roles of artificial intelligence that are gaining attention.
At the panel hosted by the American Association of Retired Persons at last week's Consumer Electronics Show [CES], experts described the next five years as a period where robots transition primarily from industrial sites to service settings, helping to address a worsening health care labor crunch.
Seeing robots in places like theme parks or universities '' will lead to the companion robot probably at the end of decade,'' said Man Theremann, chief strategy officer for robot company Boston Dynamics.
Cris Gardner, a vice president in futurecasting at AARP, predicted robots will provide emotional support as they enter homes and assist with daily tasks.
People '' will own a generalized humanoid robot the way they would own a car,'' she said.
DYSTOPIAN prophecies of a robot centered future have long featured in the public imagination. However, recent breakthroughs in generative A.I. have given more credibility to predictions of billions of humanoid robots in everyday life.
Vehicle and equipment maker Oshkosh has used automation to phase out high burnout jobs such as the finishing work on firetrucks, which require workers to wear a mask and often leads to shoulder and elbow problems.
Those workers have been shifted to other assembly line work, such as welding.
While these jobs are currently safe, they may '' one day '' be automated, Pfeier said.
''This has been the evolution of the economy for 250 years,'' he said. '' People move into more productive ways to help the economy grow.''
At CES, US agriculture machinery giant John Deere showcased autonomous vehicles developed partly in response to persistent farm labor shortages.
Automation allows farmers to focus on more challenging tasks, such as managing grain movement from a field to a storage area, said Denna Kovar, president of Deer's worldwide agriculture and turf division. [AFP]
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