The shutdown of production due to the pandemic made the dream of delegating all physical labor to robots even more urgent. Alisa Konyukhovskaya, executive director of the National Association of Robotics Market Participants, talks about how real it is.
Can we say that the pandemic will give a new impetus to the introduction of robots in all areas of life?
Alisa Konyukhovskaya: Already now we can instruct robots to perform very necessary operations that can be dangerous for humans. For example, a delivery robot can deliver food to patients in infectious diseases departments of hospitals instead of a nurse, who can become infected from each contact with an infected person. Or robotic firefighters are now being retrained as disinfectants. In fact, the machine performs the same operation, only instead of water or a foam mixture, a disinfecting solution is supplied to it through a hose. But there were both robotic waiters and robotic firefighters before the coronavirus. They just found another use for them now. If we talk about the global reorganization of world production with the massive use of robots, then it is unlikely that there will be any sharp leap now.
Why? Many factories are only stopped so that workers can wait out the danger at home
Alisa Konyukhovskaya: The introduction of robots into production is both expensive and troublesome. For some tasks, it makes no economic sense to implement them. Using human labor can be easier and cheaper. The robot is effective where it is necessary to perform the same standard operation many times. For example, place a part in a machine, weld, paint, or stack boxes on a pallet. Robots are widely used in the production of cars and electronics, where there is algorithmization and mass production. However, the use of robots is not possible everywhere. The use of robots is difficult in small and medium-scale production, since the reprogramming process is very laborious and time-consuming. Or in order to make highly robotic production, you need to revise the product design. If we talk aboutwhere industrial robots are being introduced most of all, these are China, Germany, the USA, Japan and Germany. They account for about 75% of global robot sales.
And what about Russia?
Alisa Konyukhovskaya: Russia is very far behind. There is such an indicator - the density of robotization: how many robots are there per 10 thousand workers. The world average is about 100. In South Korea - more than 700 pieces. There are over 100 robots in China. And in our country there are only 5. This is very little.
Is it all about low labor costs?
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Alisa Konyukhovskaya: No, it is now lower in Russia than in China. The use of robotics is a rather costly process with a long payback period. Companies are ready to consider projects with a payback period of 1.5-2 years. If it takes longer, it’s easier and cheaper to pay workers further. But the most important thing is that there is a lack of personnel, qualified personnel in the field of robotics. Enterprises are not ready to switch to robots either at the management level or at the level of ordinary workers.
Management often does not really understand what an industrial robot is, how to implement it, how to choose an integrator partner, and what effects this will give to production. In our country, in general, people get to know robots through science fiction in books or movies, and very few understand what robotics really is and how to use it in production.
Now in our country robots are expensive, and labor is cheap. However, the situation will gradually change. The global trend is to reduce the cost of technology and increase wages.
But at the moment, we need to focus on retraining employees of enterprises to improve competencies in the field of robotics. After all, the main problem is the lack of personnel. Even if the director decided to implement robots and sent the engineer for retraining, paid for classes, a business trip, when the employee returns, he may be poached by a neighboring enterprise, offering a large salary.
And what about the workers? Aren't you afraid of the uprising of the new Luddites?
Alisa Konyukhovskaya: World experience shows that with the introduction of robotics, the number of jobs only increases. In general, there are conditions for the use of robots, which are called 4D (dull, dirty, dangerous, dear). Translated from English: boring, dirty, dangerous and expensive. Very few people want to do the work that these words describe. But there are vacancies related to the creation of a robotic complex and its maintenance. Through the use of robotics, companies can improve efficiency and lower prices for their products, displacing competitors and capturing new markets, as a result of which they expand production - and they again have a growing need for human personnel. Vending machines have not killed the sales profession, and ATMs have not killed cashiers. It's just that the world has changedand these changes occur very imperceptibly at the everyday level. I think that generational change will also contribute to the expansion of the use of robots. New cars appeared - young guys with the necessary competencies came and mastered them. And at this time the most age-related and conservative part of the workers retired.
How safe are industrial robots for humans?
Alisa Konyukhovskaya: Safe. There are certain standards to ensure it. For example, a robot must be in a cage. Almost literally. It is fenced off from people and you cannot get close to it while it is working. Only after turning it off. For example, there are no people in Amazon warehouses where logistics robots move. Cars pull the racks, and people in separate areas remove goods from these racks. Almost all emergencies, industrial injuries are safety violations by people. However, there is a development of technologies, equipping robots with sensors, which helps people and robots to work in the same space.
Cobots are being created - robots equipped with sensors that allow them to work near people. If someone appears in the danger zone, the car will simply stop. Or she can follow the movements of the person, or perform tasks in tandem with the person.
Is it possible to create such a production where only robots will work, and a person can control them even from home or office?
Alisa Konyukhovskaya: This is a futuristic picture. It may become a reality in a few decades. So far, man is absolutely necessary. After all, initially it is the person who must come up with a project and decide on the use of robots, and then implement the implementation of robots and control their work.
Alexey Duel
