A future society that coexists with robots has come to reality
Since the birth of machines, the way people work has changed drastically. By replacing repetitive work, mass production, or potentially dangerous hard labor, we have literally achieved an '(industrial) revolution'. As time passed and various technologies including artificial intelligence were installed in machines, an amazing result called 'Robot' was born. If you look up a robot in an encyclopedia, you can see that its etymology is the Czech word 'robota', which means 'work (or labor)'. It can be seen that it fits well with the role of modern robots.
There is also a story close to over-technology, such as <Terminator> or <I, Robot>, in which artificial intelligence robots against humanity can create a dystopia. However, we can never overlook the fact that 'humanity', the main body that deals with artificial intelligence applied with machine and deep learning and continuously researches and develops robotics, exists behind it. Futurist and Prestige Economics Chairman 'Jason Sanker' mentioned that the era of robots has been accelerated due to the Corona 19 incident, and changes in related industries are also focusing on 'helping humans enjoy more freedom'. It is a very positive attitude towards the robot market and industry itself. In this respect, rather than the possibly extreme world of 'Robocalypse¹', wouldn't it be good to expect a sci-fi movie with a utopia in which humans and robots coexist become a reality?
1) Robocalypse: A combination of robot and apocalypse, which means the end of the world.
Growing Robot Industry
Even now, robots are still replacing human tasks and achieving an industrial revolution in another sense. Beyond simple repetitive work and mass production, it is evolving enough to change the lifestyle of mankind. As high-tech machines called robots take over repetitive and dangerous tasks, the factory has been transformed into a 'smart factory²', and a technological environment called 'smart farm³' is being created in the farm area.
2) Smart Factory: Smart Factory, a futuristic factory in which ICT technology is grafted onto a general production line
3) Smart Farm: Smart Farm, an intelligent agricultural system incorporating technology
As will be described later, there are robots that quickly and accurately classify the enormously accumulated logistics, and robots that perform exploration missions on Mars, which is 470 million kilometers away, are also replacing humans.
In addition to examples that seem out of place, there are many robots that touch our skin in our daily lives. Examples include robots that make coffee or prepare food, and serving robots that bring food to your seat. Furthermore, 'Android⁴' that replaces people, as well as 'care robots' that become friends and caress emotions may emerge. In other words, the novel that I saw in the movie is now becoming a reality. After all, the robots we are experiencing today are by no means the final stage of robotics.
4) Android: A representative SF term derived from the Greek word meaning 'something resembling a human', meaning a robot whose words and actions are almost indistinguishable from humans.
In fact, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) predicts that the size of the service robot market will continue to grow. The personal service robot sector is estimated to grow at an average annual rate of 35.7% from $4.6 billion in 2019 to about $11.5 billion in 2022, and for artificial intelligence service robots to grow at an average annual rate of 31.5% from $31 billion in 2019 to about $122 billion in 2024. . If you look at robots that are constantly mentioned in the media as well as figures, you will be able to fully sense that robots and humans will live with more contact points in the future.
Robot-related products created along with the growth of the robot industry are accelerating the popularization of robots. A US company that needed workers to transport goods introduced robots instead of people who were hard to find due to labor shortages. Instead of buying a robot, we 'rented' it in the form of a subscription. It's like a subscription robot service called RaaS (Robot-as-a-Service). While the sharing and subscription economy continues to be a trend, when you think that such a service has appeared, including robots, it is a great 'feeling of a different world'.
As the robot market gradually grows, the scope of 'robot insurance', which was limited to industrial robots, is also expanding. From cases that can cause injury to people, such as coffee making robots or serving robots, to commercial damages caused by machine malfunctions, robot insurance can reduce the burden. As the number of cases in which robots are introduced and used increases, the number of insurances that provide comprehensive collateral in addition to simple business liability is increasing. The fact that the coverage of robot insurance has increased like this proves that there are more places where robots are being introduced throughout society beyond industry.
Robots influencing our lives close by
Perhaps the cases mentioned earlier may not be relevant to us who read this article. So, how much can we feel about robots in our daily lives?
First of all, I would like to introduce the logistics robot. Although we cannot directly touch and see logistics robots, they have a great impact on our lives. The parcel I ordered last night is sorted quickly and accurately so that it can be delivered to my door.
'LG Chloe Carrybot' is a representative example of this, and it is a next-generation logistics robot that incorporates artificial intelligence as well as autonomous driving technology. It is equipped with high-speed communication for robot-to-robot interaction. In the process of loading multiple parcels and transporting them to their destination, they use the communication network to figure out their route and move on their own. It can move more weight than humans can lift, and efficient movement helps deliveries move faster and more accurately than before.
The role of logistics robots is not limited to parcel delivery. You can see a bigger use in LG Smart Park, which was selected as the first lighthouse factory 5 in the domestic home appliance industry . That is the AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) that transports the parts necessary for the product manufacturing process. It was designed so that robots can move along a set path and find their own path so that the paths do not overlap with each other. It is an essential technology for efficient circulation in a factory where multiple robots move at the same time. Moving heavy parts through efficient routes helps produce quality goods quickly so that they are available when we need them.
5) A factory that leads the future of global manufacturing by actively introducing cutting-edge technology, just as a lighthouse illuminates the night sky to guide the way
The Japanese market research institute 'Fuji Economic Research Institute' estimated the global logistics and delivery robot market to grow by 8% annually from about 6 trillion won in 2018, and predicted that it would reach about 11 trillion won by 2025. In this respect, the changes that LG Electronics' logistics robots will bring to the industrial field may be just the beginning.
Robots are active not only in industry but also in the service sector. Representative examples include the 'LG Chloe Barista Bot', which was awarded the 'Robot Brewing Master' for the first time in 2020, and the 'LG Chloe Chef Bot', which completes noodle dishes in a short amount of time. The robot has the advantage of making a certain taste every time, giving us the same satisfaction.
In addition, there are various service robots such as the 'LG Chloe UV-C Bot', which provides non-face-to-face disinfection, and the 'LG Chloe Guide Bot', which guides visitors in museums and exhibition halls. In this way, we can meet increasingly diverse robots. Some call it 'Robocalypse', where robots take away jobs, but in the end, people can have more valuable experiences in another environment. The robot industry is, after all, coexistence and cooperation between robots and humans.
LG Electronics to lead Korea's future robot industry together
Businesses are expanding due to service and industrial robots, and robots have been performing dangerous and simple repetitive tasks. At that time, people think that the ultimate goal of the robot industry is to focus on experiences that are more valuable than that. Big domestic companies such as LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor Group, and Naver Labs are jumping into the robot market, and its growth is accelerating. In addition, various technologies mounted on robots are also constantly being researched, so they are evolving into surprising results. A robot is a collection of cutting-edge technologies such as big data, cloud, and network as well as artificial intelligence, which is likely to be the most basic. One day in the not-too-distant future, we may be able to talk to robots and become friends like the main characters in the movies.
Comments