The inspiration to make robots first came when Karel Capek mentioned them in his play “R.U.R: Rossum’s Universal Robots.” Since then the idea of a machine which combines mechanics, electronics and software has ignited minds of many fiction writers and scientists.
Robots have been used in various facets of life for a variety of reasons. To begin with, robots have been used to reduce the human effort in order to save labor and minimize cost. The work which 10 laborers will perform in one day, a robot can finish in a day. It obviously means reduction of costs drastically.
Another prime reason behind using robots is the fact that in some areas accuracy is required on consistent basis; failing to which can mean huge losses in terms of human life or a compromise with quality. Such areas include pharmaceutical industry, food processing industry, etc. In such areas a small error can mean huge losses. Besides, these areas are quite prone to human error because of the repetitive nature of these jobs (which creates Repetitive Strain Syndrome among workers) and hence should best be handled by a robot who can perform things repetitively with accuracy.
In some other areas, the products being manufactured can be quite injurious or the process of manufacturing them can be quite risky for human beings and hence robots come handy in such areas. These areas include industries where radioactive rays and dangerous machineries like winders, presses, etc. are used to manufacture products.
In some other areas where gauging and testing things are required, human interpretation can vary but a robot can produce unbiased results. For example, laboratory routines are quite prone to human bias because thousands of samples need to be tested their on a daily basis. Different operators can produce different results but a robot will always generate consistent results.
Interestingly, some companies have also launched robots for cleaning and maintaining homes and buildings, much to the delight of home makers. For robots not only reduce the dependence on maids and housekeepers, but produce efficient results as well.
