Essentially confined until now to the industrial sector and handling, robots are preparing to arrive in our lives, announce the exhibitors at the CES technology show.
Technological progress and falling unit costs “will probably pave the way for the companion robot by the end of the decade,” said Marc Theermann, head of strategy at robotics flagship Boston Dynamics, during a round table.
Individuals “will own a humanoid robot that does everything, in the same way that they have a car,” added Cris Gardner, vice-president of the powerful American association of retirees AARP, which organized the round table.
In Las Vegas, the San Francisco start-up OpenDroids presented R2D3, whose name is inspired by R2-D2 from “Star Wars”.
This robot, which is expected to sell for $60,000 once mass production begins, can perform a wide range of household chores.
It is already being tested in rehabilitation centers to relieve staff of repetitive tasks.
Other models, which do not have the humanoid appearance of the R2D3, have also been talked about, notably the new generation of autonomous vacuum cleaners, now equipped with a mechanical arm to do much more than dust.
The central dimension that the robot will occupy in the years to come is “very underestimated”, argues a report from the Abundance360 entrepreneurs association.
The widespread use of robots could mark the start of an “unprecedented era of abundance”, the report enthuses, by reducing costs and letting humans “focus on creative and fulfilling activities”.
– “Societal upheaval” –
Abundance360 nevertheless recognizes that several sectors are expected to go through a phase of employment contraction due to robotization, citing in particular industry, agriculture and surgery.
“The speed at which generative AI and the development of humanoid robots are advancing, combined with the lack of debate on the subject, portends labor market turbulence and societal upheaval,” according to the report.
The recent case of American dockers has drawn attention to this issue, with the ILA (International Longshoremen’s Association) union obtaining from shipping companies that semi-autonomous cranes can only be installed in ports in exchange for hiring.
In the industry, the revolution has been underway for a long time now, but things are accelerating.
The Hong Kong company R2C2 showed at CES its robots capable of carrying out inspections on power plants or carrying out maintenance on trains.
The company’s boss, San Wong, argues that his robots will solve the issue of “turnover” among railway technicians, who can get tired of an environment that is “dirty and stuffy, where there is grease everywhere “.
The American utility vehicle giant Oshkosh has also adopted automation for certain activities that are demanding for humans, notably the finishing of fire trucks, which causes musculoskeletal disorders.
The employees concerned were reassigned to other positions, welding among others, but the boss, John Pfeifer, does not exclude that these will also be automated, “one day”.
“This is how the economy has evolved for 250 years,” he argues. “People are looking to improve productivity to help growth.”
Also at CES, the manufacturer of tractors and other agricultural machinery John Deere demonstrated its autonomous vehicles, which, according to the group, respond to the shortage of agricultural workers.
“We need to ensure that the skills of our employees and our customers evolve so that they take advantage of these technologies, without seeing them as a threat,” urges Deanna Kovar, president of the agriculture division of John Deere.
For Cris Gardner of AARP, human services are also facing a labor shortage, with the prospect of a larger population of seniors than ever before.
“The demand is going to be enormous,” she warns, and “it cannot be met by humans” alone.
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