Experts say the role of humanoid robots in the workplace would very much depend on the type of work.Getty Images
In Flowery Branch, Georgia, an hour’s drive from Atlanta, robots designed to look and move like humans are unpacking and moving boxes in a warehouse run by logistics company GXO.
Standing at five-foot-nine, their hands are metallic pincers capable of lifting 35 pounds, they use electricity in their legs to move up and down, and they go by the name Digit.
Developed by Oregon-based Agility Robotics, these robots are human-centric, meaning they are designed to work alongside people, and they are being touted as the answer to labour shortages around the world and across sectors. These machines can do the work that many humans simply don’t want to do.
“In the last 10 years, we’ve seen the adoption of mobile robots and collaborative robots,” says Melonee Wise, chief product officer at Agility Robotics. “Humanoids are coming into a market where there’s these other mature automation technologies and so there’s really high expectations.”
A lot of the questions on the role of humanoid robots in the workplace revolve around how they will displace the humans currently in those roles, Ms. Wise says, adding that much of the fears may be rooted in intimidation.
“I don’t think the robot itself changes people’s perception. Actually, when you get down to it and you start talking to workers, what they’re actually more concerned about is that they’re unqualified to work with the machine, and that they won’t be trained to work with the machine.”
This is not the case, Ms. Wise says. Similar to the autonomous mobile robots (AMR) space, companies developing humanoid robots are focused on making the technology user friendly and familiar, installing user software as apps on mobile phones or as applications in web browsers.
“We’re going to be focused on making the robots easy to use, making sure that people don’t need a lot of training –– and that they will feel comfortable with the training they do have and some of their everyday experience –– to be able to use these new tools,” she explains.
Agility’s Digit is one of several humanoid robots coming to market. Tesla has its human workers wearing sensors that can capture their movements, then the company can apply data to its future humanoid workforce called Tesla Optimus.
Norway’s 1X Technologies is looking to deploy its humanoid assistant, NEO, into homes as early as next year. NEO is designed not only to complete labour tasks, but also to provide a comfortable touch, as displayed by a one-armed hug in its promotional video.
Cindy Friedman, a researcher and PhD candidate at the Ethics Institute of Utrecht University in the Netherlands, whose work centres around humanoid robots and emphasizes how important human-human interaction is both socially and morally, says there is a place for robotics in sectors such as manufacturing –– but they don’t need to look like humans to get the job done.
“Many roles can be fulfilled by robots that are not humanoids,” Ms. Friedman says. “But in some instances, a humanoid design would be helpful in that it could make it easier to navigate spaces that are designed for human bodies.”
She adds if that’s the case, there needs to be a focus on their appearances and what their bodily forms represent. For example, if humanoid robots are given certain tasks, like caretaking for the aging, if they look more female in appearance will this reinforce gender stereotypes? Will children be less likely to visit their aging parents because they consider them cared for, thereby increasing loneliness among the older population?
Ms. Friedman says the role of humanoid robots in the workplace would very much depend on the type of work. But there’s also the consideration of whether we even need these robots.
“I think one of the most important ethical questions to ask is whether we are really solving a problem with humanoid robots, or if it is a case of techno-solutionism,” Ms. Friedman says. “Are we developing these robots in an attempt to push the boundaries of science and technology, simply because we can, or do we really need these robots?”
The workforce, particularly manufacturing, is getting a lot more comfortable with the idea of automation and traditional robots. The stock of operational robots around the globe hit a new record of about 3.9 million units, according to The International Federation of Robotics (IFR).
“Traditional industrial robots and service robots are already the answer to fight these labour shortages,” says IRF press officer Carsten Heer. “Since the robot takes on the 4 ‘Ds’ of dull, dirty, dangerous and difficult tasks, their use is even more attractive for manufacturers to support their human workforce.”
Fredrik Odegaard, professor of Management Science at Western University’s Ivey Business School, likens this new phase of technology, and accompanying fears, to the industrial revolution or the introduction of the assembly line, when workers were concerned about their place alongside this new device.
“I think this fear has been going for a long time about how the robots are going to replace all the workforce, that the workforce is going to get decimated because you can just automate,” Dr. Odegaard says.
“My own personal belief,” he adds, “and what I’ve seen if I track technology and industrial revolutions, is that I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think it’s actually going to create more jobs than the task that it’s going to replace.”