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Robots: Helpful of Hurtful?

Isabella Cline

Mrs. Michelle Bagley

Intern/Mentor GT

17 January 2017
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Imagine a world where robots walk amongst human beings as legal citizens. What once

could only be seen in science fiction movies may soon be seen in the real world. Currently, the

members in the European Parliament are voting on whether robots should be given legal status

and thereby, be considered electronic people. The vote suggests that, in the near future, robots

will become an even more integral part in the work force. According to the World Economic

Forum, Artificial Intelligence (AI) could replace approximately five million jobs by 2020. In

decades, AI could trump human intellectual capacity. The rapid growth of robots intellect and

capabilities could become so advanced that humans may no longer be able to control them. The

idea of robots taking over the world has been the main plot for several hit movies as well as the

fears of many people since they were first developed. Technology has improved to create a new

era of robots, where they not only work in factories, but also beside humans. As robots become

cheaper, smaller, and safer people-friendly systems, are they truly helpful or hurtful? In a

continuously changing world, with advancing technology contributing to the efficiency,

productiveness, and happiness of human beings, robots have been at the forefront of this

technological revolution. Robots are helping to maintain human safety, exploring and

discovering the world, and further progressing the world into a new age of technological

advancements.

One of the main reasons r obots have become popular tools in factories is because they

are able to maintain human safety without becoming liabilities to their companies. They also

perform repetitive tasks better than humans, leading to higher efficiency. According to a Food

Engineering article by Senior Technical Editor, Wayne Labs, vision-guided robotics are changing

the food industry for the better, becoming essential for doing the picking, packaging, palletizing,

and portioning of food. Using 3D vision to measure the dimensions as well as the fat to lean ratio
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of pieces of meat, the robot is able to determine the greatest number of products out of each

piece. Able to calculate the size, shape, and weight of each piece before being cut, the robot then

uses water jet technology to cut the meat into its calculated portions while minimizing waste.

This new process allows robots to prevent human contamination of food and technology from

viruses and bacteria. Steven West, development manager for vision-guided robotics at ABB

Robotics NA, stated, Typically a robot improves workforce productivity and quality . . . Most

global companies see robots as a way to solve ergonomic, safety and quality problems (qtd. in

Labs 3). Robots are becoming a presence in packaging and packagers are pleased with robots

performances. More than 90% of packagers say robots are successful at performing their jobs,

and nearly 80% of packagers feel robots are important to their packaging operations (Labs 4).

Robots have improved factories precision, productivity, and efficiency while maintaining human

safety. The Defense Advanced Research Agencys (DARPA) first Cyber Grand Challenge is a

competition, in which attackers spend months or years developing hacks and then defenders

[in the form of computer systems] must comprehend that attack and counter it in just minutes

(Geggel 2). The computer system, Xandra was able to discover the attack, figure out how it

worked, and breach the defenses of one of its opponents, Jima. Then, Jima was able to detect that

breach, offer a patch, and terminate the breach. The occurrence only took fifteen minutes, and it

all happened before any human being knew that flaw existed (qtd in Geggel 2). Robots are

instrumental in cyber security, protecting humans from being hacked, which leads to identity

theft, computer viruses, and much more. Robots have also been instrumental during natural

disasters such as Hurricane Katrina as well as the earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal. As described

in a CNN article, robots were able to do what was deemed too dangerous or impossible for

humans. Detecting people under thirty-feet of rubble, going into crumbling buildings, and
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quickly searching a flooded city, robots are saving lives (Robots, Drones, and Heart-Detectors:

How Disaster Technology Is Saving Lives 1).

Along with keeping humans safe, robots are propelling humans forward by exploring ad

discovering the world. In January 1959, the Soviet Unions Luna 1, a robotic spacecraft, flew

3,692 miles above the surface of the Moon, catalyzing robotic space exploration. Robots have

been crucial for relaying information and data found on other planets and moons back to Earth.

Since there is no way of replacing or repairing a spacecraft once it leaves its home base, the

robots must be reliable. They must also be durable and resilient as they will experience

dangerous solar and cosmic radiation as well as harsh solar winds, dust, large space debris and a

range of hot and cold temperatures. Robots have found elements on planets that have further

educated humans on their own world. On May 25, 2008, the robotic probe Phoenix landed near

the north pole of Mars. As described in a Space Sciences article, Phoenix began using its metal

claw to dig at the Martian surface in June 2008. Trenches dug by the claw exposed a white

material . . . On June 20, they announced proof that the white material was water ice: the probes

cameras showed that tiny crumbs of it scattered by the digging claw had disappeared over

several days. This could only be explained by evaporation of water by ice, since atmospheric

conditions at the site would not have permitted the evaporation of dry ice (solid CO2) (Robotic

Exploration of Space 6). Although scientists knew that Marss north polar cap contained dry ice,

as seen from telescopes, the observance of water ice in Martian soil by the Phoenix was the first

physical evidence of such material. Spacecrafts have flown by every major planet and most of

their moons in the solar system. Robotic space exploration allows a robot to learn about the

atmosphere of a planet or moon before sending a human. Since some space missions last for

decades, robots are able to travel those long missions, sending videos back to Earth, without
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needing to return to Earth. As technology becomes more advanced, robotic space exploration

will become more sophisticated and useful in the future.

As robots help humans explore the world, they are constantly being innovated, leading to

a futuristic world. Lionfish in the Atlantic Oceans have been preying on fish that keep reefs clean

and healthy. The robotics company that created Roomba vacuums, iRobot, is designing a robot

targeted to dispatch invasive fish such as the lionfish. In the Live Science article, Deep-Diving

Robots Zap, Kill Invasive Lionfish the process of dispatching the lionfish is described, A

diving robot will enable individuals on the ocean surface to remotely zap and kill lionfish with

electrical charges (Weisberger 1). The effort is meant to decrease the fast-growing populations

of invasive species, which environmental officers have determined to be serious threats to marine

ecosystems in the Western Atlantic Ocean. Executive director of Robots in Service of the

Environment (RISE) is convinced, Big colonies of lionfish have been found down to 900 feet

[274 m]. We believe this device is the only way to economically kill populations off at greater

depths (qtd. in Weiberger 3). In the medical world, AI algorithms have been developed that

scour data on electronic medical records in order to help doctors diagnose sepsis twenty-four

hours earlier. Sepsis is a condition, in which chemicals released by the blood to fight infection

triggers inflammation, leading to changes in the body that can cause organ failure or possibly

death. The AI system is called Targeted Real-Time Early Warning System (TREWScore). In an

article titled, 5 Intriguing Uses for Artificial Intelligence, Suchi Saria, an assistant professor at

the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, shared a story about a fifty-two-year-old

woman who came to the hospital due to a mildly infected foot sore. During her stay, the woman

developed sepsis . . . The woman died (Geggel 2). Had doctors used TREWScore, they could

have diagnosed the woman twelve hours earlier, potentially saving her life. In the world of
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prosthetics, researchers have announced that a paralyzed man, Nathan Copeland, has regained

the feeling of touch due to a mind-controlled robotic arm and brain chip implants. Doctors

implanted two small electronic chips into Copelands brain one in the sensory cortex, which

controls touch, and the other in the motor cortex, which controls movement (Geggel 3). During

the trials, Copeland was able to control the robotic arm with his mind and feel the sensation of

touch when researchers touched the robotic hand. By incorporating technology that is state-of-

the-art, robots are making the impossible, possible.

As mankind steps into a new era of robots, there is a level of fear. However, in a list of

The Top 10 Robotics Application Mistakes, number seven was Failure to accept robotics

technology: If the end-user fails to embrace the robotics technology, the project will be doomed

to failure (Labs 7). Robots are changing the world. Ultimately, robots have more positives than

negatives, as they are increasing human safety with robots that can detect people under several

feet of ruble, discovering the world with probes and rovers, and leading the way in technological

advancements with robotic arms that give paralyzed individuals the ability to feel the sensation

of touch. For those who believe robots are more hurtful than helpful, imagine a world without

robots, and think about how far back in time our world would be, left in a state of stagnation with

slow technological growth. A world with robots is a world of progress, efficiency, happiness, and

endless possibilities.
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Works Cited

Geggel, Laura. "5 Intriguing Uses for Artificial Intelligence (That Aren't Killer Robots)." Live

Science, Purch, 14 Oct. 2016. Accessed 4 Jan. 2017.

Labs, Wayne. "Keeping an Eye on Safety: Vision-Guided Robots Can Perform Dangerous Jobs

and Help Prevent Contamination of Food Products." Science in Context, GALE, Sept.

2009. Accessed 29 Dec. 2016.

"Robotic Exploration of Space." Space Sciences, edited by John F. McCoy, 2nd ed., 2012.

Science in Context. Accessed 30 Dec. 2016.

"Robots, Drones, and Heart-Detectors: How Disaster Technology Is Saving Lives." CNN, edited

by Chris Boyette and Tawanda Scott Sambou, Cable News Network, 5 Oct. 2015.

Accessed 4 Jan. 2017.

Slansky, Dick. "The Next Generation of Robots: Working with and for People." Edited by Steve

Banker. Forbes, 29 May 2014. Accessed 3 Jan. 2017.

Weisberger, Mindy. "Deep-Diving Robots Zap, Kill Invasive Lionfish." Live Science, Purch, 26

Sept. 2016. Accessed 5 Jan. 2017.