Will robots accompany us on a larger scale in 2022?
Industry media often show bolder and more functional robots created by engineers from around the world. How far are we from popularizing them in our daily life? Are we ready for such a world? Or maybe it is already happening, but we do not notice it?
Will robots accompany us on a larger scale in 2022?
How do waiters robots work at McDonald’s?
See which Polish petrol station introduced robots as the first in EuropeWhat is the phenomenon of the humanoid robot Amec from London?Are we ready for work in our everyday environment?Do you run a business and want and want to focus on development? Courses, checklists, building processes in the company
- Until now, robots that are supposed to help people in various situations were only prototypes and rather technological novelties.
- The pandemic slightly accelerated this process, because in this difficult time many robots helped, for example, in health care.
- Recently, however, this work has moved on.
- In Slovenia, robots serve the guests at McDonald’s restaurant. In Poland, as the first in Europe, similar robots appeared at a gas station.
In London, scientists are working on the Ameca, which is a humanoid robot that uses compressed air instead of blood, allowing facial expressions to be reproduced so realistic that it gives the impression that a real human is standing in front of us. Can we expect such robots to become popular soon? Or maybe these are just technological curiosities that we will quickly forget?
McDonald’s introduces the first robots
At the end of 2021, the media reported that in Slovenia, autonomous robots were introduced to the McDonald’s network that deliver meals around restaurants. The staff places the trays with snacks in them and, via the touch screen, instructs the robots which table to drive to with a specific meal. The robots also respond to voice commands.
The manufacturer of these devices is Pudu Robotics from Shenzhen, China, which started its operations in 2016.
The robots, in order not to bump into restaurant customers, have been equipped with 3D obstacle avoidance systems, which are modeled on those used in autonomous vacuum cleaners. In addition, arrows are placed on the device to indicate in which direction the robot will move.
– As the population is aging, the labor force is declining – especially middle-aged workers are declining. As a consequence, we can either extend our activity on the labor market, including raise the retirement age or increase the share of various robots and automatic machines to perform part of the work.
In particular, it is about repetitive, boring and dangerous activities. Robots are unlikely to replace more advanced intellectual work soon, ‘explains Andrzej Klimczuk, a doctor who specializes in the science of public policy and sociology. Assistant professor at the Department of Public Policy at the Warsaw School of Economics.
Polish gas stations also have their work
Petrol station in WrzeĊnia, Poland. It was here that on December 22, 2021, the first two robots in Europe dedicated to such spaces appeared. BellaBot and KittyBot are the names of the robots that at the gas station, similarly to the Slovenian McDonald’s, will bring customers to the table with drinks and snacks, and guide the guests towards the food court.