When most people think of robotics in the work place they think of massive robots in auto manufacturing plants that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, the world of robotics has been shifting from industrial applications in recent years. Robots and automation are posed to move into transportation, bartending, the service industry, and many other unusual fields. Here are a few robots that you might see employed in the future.
Daimler Self-Driving Truck
Freight truck producer Daimler, which owns Mercedes-Benz, claims that it’s automated Semi will make long-haul road transportation safer, cheaper, and better for the planet.
The semi is as technologically packed as Googles self-driving cars so it has all the sensors it will need. There is currently a driver in the truck on stand but only uses the human driver if there is an emergency or a condition the truck can’t handle.
Test vehicle that still has to pass a lot of tests to clear Nevada DMV protocols but shows clearly that there is a demand for this type of automation. (10 year process)
Cooking and Bartending Robots
Whether it’s mixing your drink or cooking your food these robotic systems are available to work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with no paid vacation days.
Baxter the multi-purpose robot
Baxter is a multi-purpose robot built by ReThink Robotics. Baxter can be programed by the average user by simply showing it what to do. As long as the robot has the materials it needs in arms reach then it can accurately reproduce any actions it’s trained for. Additionally, Baxter can hold multiple settings so that it can do different jobs in the same facility. So one day Baxter might be putting widgets together and the next day you can move it to a different area to stock shelves. The base model of Baxter costs $25,000 dollars.
BRETT the learning robot
Researchers at UC Berkeley are now developing algorithms that robots can use to learn all sorts of tasks through trial and error, just like humans do. In practical terms, this could eventually lead to home service robots capable of handling any number of tedious tasks we’d rather not do—screwing in lightbulbs, plunging toilets, folding laundry.
