As robots are becoming more intelligent and able to perform more complex tasks, it is important to figure out the right way to split the work so humans and robots are each doing the work best suited for each other. Here we look at some of the best examples of human and robot collaboration.

1. THE BEST EXAMPLES OF HUMAN
AND ROBOT COLLABORATION

2. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
THE BEST EXAMPLES OF HUMAN AND ROBOT
COLLABORATION
As robots are becoming more intelligent and able to perform more complex tasks, it
is important to figure out the right way to split the work so humans and robots are
each doing the work best suited for each other. Here we look at some of the best
examples of human and robot collaboration.

3. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
The future of work is not about humans being replaced by robots. Rather, it is about us learning to
work alongside smart, automated technology that will augment our capabilities while allowing us
to focus on skills that are uniquely humans.
We have been sharing our workplaces with robots for some time now – the earliest industrial
robots were used in the mid-20th century, usually to carry out routine, manual assembly work on
production lines. What makes today’s industrial robots different is that they are capable of
carrying out work in a way that is truly autonomous, without needing direct control or input from
us to tell them how to do it. This is because they are controlled by artificial intelligence (AI) –
specifically software algorithms that use machine learning to enable them to continuously get
better and better at their jobs.

4. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
If, as is true of many of us, your concept of what a robot is comes from science fiction, then many
of today’s industrial robots may not look quite as you expect them to. This is because they are
generally built to carry out one particular task, so they will often look pretty similar to whatever
regular, non-AI machine is usually used for that job. The term “robot” is also sometimes used to
refer to autonomous systems that are entirely built-in software, as in Robotic Process Automation
(RPA).
Whichever way you look at it, it’s clear that robots of one form or another will play an
increasingly large part in our working lives. So, here’s a look at some of the most interesting and
exciting collaborations between humans and autonomous machines:

5. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
A famous example of human and robot collaboration is Amazon's warehouse robots that
work alongside staff in its fulfillment centers. These robots have one job – to bring items
to human pickers so they can be packaged and labeled for dispatch. They do this by
moving entire shelving units and are programmed to watch out for humans so they will
not collide and cause accidents. While the existing robots are limited to working in certain
designated areas, a newer model currently being trialed, nicknamed "Bert," will be able to
safely navigate anywhere on the factory floor. Amazon says that since it introduced robots
to its warehouses in 2012, it has also created over a million human jobs.
WAREHOUSE ROBOTS

6. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Robots are often used to work on farms to carry out jobs that are dangerous or just
boring. Autonomous drones can be used to plant seeds, spread fertilizers and pesticides,
and watch out for invasive species or trespassers. Humans will oversee their work and step
in when manual decisions need to be made. US startup Burro creates “people scale”
collaborative robots (or “cobots”) that use computer vision and GPS to follow agricultural
workers and assist them with day-to-day work. The market for robots in agriculture is
predicted to be worth $11.58 billion by 2025.
AGRICULTURAL ROBOTS

7. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Moxie is a cobot created by Diligent Robots designed to help nurses and other staff on
their rounds in hospitals. It can make deliveries and carry out a number of non-clinical
tasks proactively, such as restocking supplies and collecting samples. It can do this without
needing to be told precisely what to do, by integrating with electronic healthcare records.
The idea is that robots like Moxie will leave human workers free to carry out the parts of
their job that can be best done by humans, like providing care and compassion to the sick.
HEALTHCARE ROBOTS

8. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Robots are increasingly used to help patients recovering from injury or surgery. The
collaborative robots created by Italian startup Heaxel train those in recovery to carry out
repetitive movements, monitor their progress towards recovery, and pass data back to
human therapists who are able to use it to fine-tune the recovery program. Other robots
have been created that are designed to live alongside the elderly or disabled. As well as
providing a form of companionship, they assist caregivers by monitoring their wellbeing
and watching out for accidents and falls in the home.
WELLBEING AND THERAPY ROBOTS

9. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
A robot called RoMan has been used by the US Army to clear roads of obstacles that may
be providing cover for enemies, or other hazards such as improvised explosive devices. It
uses 3D sensor data to determine whether objects will pose an obstacle or a hazard, a pair
of mantis-like arms originally designed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and is
powered by deep learning algorithms.
MILITARY ROBOTS

10. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
So, robots have now gone full-circle and ended up back where they started, in manufacturing.
But today’s collaborative manufacturing robots are significantly more advanced than they
were when General Motors installed its first robots at its New Jersey plant in 1962. Symbio
Robotics creates robots that are used by car manufacturers, including Ford and Toyota, not
just for welding and spray painting but for installing components, picking parts, testing
systems, checking for faults or defects, and screwing and bolting. These processes constitute
the part of the manufacturing cycle known as “final assembly," which traditionally is the most
complex and difficult to automate. This is because they require a greater degree of precise
control and manual dexterity, which hasn’t been available in robotic systems until recently.
MANUFACTURING ROBOTS

11. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Fast-food chains have been quick to adopt automation in their drive to increase service
speed and bring down operating costs. Miso Robotics has created a kitchen cobot that has
been trialed by companies including Caliburger and Walmart, as well as at the Dodger
Stadium. The robot, known as flippy, assists human chefs by flipping burgers and frying
chicken, and unlike human chefs is capable of working for 100,000 hours without a break.
KITCHEN ROBOTS

12. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
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13. © 2021 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker,
futurist, and a strategic business & technology advisor to governments and
companies. He helps organisations improve their business performance, use data
more intelligently, and understand the implications of new technologies such as
artificial intelligence, big data, blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a
frequent contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for
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