Service Robots
How robots can be brought from the factory to the home
Service Robots, as per the name, exist to assist human beings, typically by performing a job that is dirty, dull, distant, dangerous or repetitive, including household chores. Such robots are autonomously operated by an internal control system with the option to manually override the operation. In short, a “service robot” is a robot “that performs useful tasks for humans”.
Compared to a standard industrial robot, which is usually programmed to do a specific task, and is not designed to be “human friendly” — they cannot detect an obstruction and this poses a risk to human life as it could hit any obstruction coming in its path — a service robot is more human friendly in that it is made to aid humans in their tasks; be it dangerous, time consuming or menial, the robot can do it.
Service Robots are generally classified into two types, semi-autonomous or fully autonomous robots. Semi-autonomous robots are the ones that require human input to perform tasks, whereas fully autonomous robots require minimal to no human input. This plays a very important role in dangerous situations or situations where human input is very difficult to receive. Service robots are also used in research, the reason being scientific research has very repetitive tasks, which is what the service robot can handle easily.
Benefits of Service Robots
Safety
This aspect of a robot is critical to understand the major advantage of a robot. Tasks that pose a high risk to human life can be performed by robots to keep the human work force safe from such dangers. For example, a demolition robot that is used in cases where a structure has to be demolished and keeps the humans safe from the falling debris.
Efficiency
It simply means a robot can work for numerous hours or days without fatigue. It can perform tasks quicker and with more consistency. This reduces the operating costs as labour becomes cheap and operation can be done on a full-time basis.
Productivity
Robots can be used to perform additional tasks that help optimise the ongoing task. For example, in an agricultural field a robot can be used to continuously monitor the health of the crops and to ensure the best grade end- result.
Modern Developments
In the medical field, service robots have come a long way. It is being used in surgeries and complex operations where each movement and incision are critical. One such robot is the Da Vinci Surgical System developed by Intuitive Surgical Inc., aiding the surgeon while providing high resolution vision to the surgeon.
In domestic applications, a fully automated vacuum cleaner coupled with machine vision can map the surface and obstacle surrounding it. This allows the robot to accustom to dynamic environment and avoid real time moving obstacles such as a cat or a human. Such additions make the robot industry a challenging and a competitive one.
By 2022, the service robot market is predicted to reach $20 Billion compared to around $17 Billion in 2021. This is a huge jump as businesses are heavily investing in service robots to incorporate them into their field to multiply their profits and reduce costs.
Written by Mufaddal Abuwala
