Advantages and Disadvantages of Robots: Cost, Abilities, and More

With robots becoming more common each and every day, it is important to understand both the advantages and disadvantages that robots have. This will help enable people to better determine when to use and when to not use robots.

The Advantages of Robots

Cost: The most obvious advantage of robots is their cost. Robots are cheaper than most human counterparts, and their costs are still decreasing.

Abilities: Robotic abilities, what robots can do, are now extremely vast and growing.

Productivity: Robots do not tire and can work very long hours without service or maintenance. As a result, robots can be significantly more productive than people.

Precision: Robots can be much more precise than people. For instance, robots should not tremble or shake as human hands do. Furthermore, robots can have much smaller and versatile moving parts than people. As a result, robots have even performed medical surgeries, because they can be more precise than people.

Strength: Without a doubt, robots can be significantly stronger than people.

Speed: Additionally, robots can be significantly faster than people too.

Size: Robots can come in any size. Whatever size needed for any task can be created.

Environment: Robots can be designed to work in extremely harsh environments, such as in space, without air, underwater, fire, etc. Thus, robots can be used instead of people when human safety is a concern.

Dangerous and Unwanted Work: Finally, robots can do jobs that people are unwilling to do. For instance, many robotic probes have been sent throughout the solar system to never return back to Earth. I don’t think many people would be willing to do those types of jobs.

Warfare: Using robots in warfare eliminates putting more people at risk and has proven to be very successful.

The Disadvantages of Robots

Jobs: In my opinion, the biggest issue with using robots is the huge loss of jobs for people. Basically, robots have eradicated a wide range of middle class jobs in several industries, such as car manufacturing.

Limited Functionality: Robots are very good at doing perfectly defined jobs, however robots typically do not handle the unexpected as well as people do.

Lack of Intelligence: Since robots are not intelligent or sentient, robots can never improve the results of their jobs outside of their predefined programming. In other words, robots do not think. At least, not yet.

Lack of Emotions or Conscience: Similarly, robots do not have emotions or conscience; therefore, robots lack empathy and all of the advantages that come with it. As a result, this limits how robots can help and interact with people.

Colonization: While robots can be sent to other planets and distance moons to help colonize them, they cannot build an independent functioning society.

Dangerous: Robots can be extremely dangerous. Whether robots are malfunctioning or designed for warfare, robots can be very hazardous to people.

In conclusion, robots have a wide range of advantages and disadvantages. And their utilization will only increase through time and with more technological advances. Hopefully, this article will help people to better determine when to use and when to not use robots.