Robots come in many forms and can be designed to perform tasks automatically with speed and precision. There are stationary, wheeled, legged, flying, and micro robots. As robot technologies improve, they will be better able to perform more tasks than humans. However, humans still need to be trained for tasks computers cannot do. It is critical for businesses to reskill employees as new jobs replace old ones rapidly. Challenges to reskilling include technical skills becoming outdated and the fast pace of job changes. Humans and robots should be used where each is most useful, with robots currently better able to perceive beyond human senses, needing less consumables, being more expendable, and tolerating environmental extremes.

1. Humans versus Robots

2. WHAT ARE ROBOTS?

3. A ROBOT IS A MACHINE DESIGNED TO EXECUTE ONE OR MORE TASKS
AUTOMATICALLY WITH SPEED AND PRECISION. THERE ARE AS MANY DIFFERENT
TYPES OF ROBOTS AS THERE ARE TASKS FOR THEM TO PERFORM.

4. Types of Robot

5. Stationary Robots

6. Wheeled Robots

7. Legged Robots

8. Flying Robots

9. Micro Robots

10. ON THE HUMAN SIDE, PEOPLE HAVE TO BE TRAINED FOR TASKS
COMPUTERS CANNOT PERFORM. THIS MEANS PRIORITISING SCIENCE,
TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH (STEM) EDUCATION. BUT THAT’S
NOT THE ONLY SOLUTION. UPSKILLING AND RESKILLING EMPLOYEES IS
CRITICAL FOR BUSINESSES. CHALLENGE TO RESKILLING WILL BE STIFF AS
NEW JOBS WILL KEEP REPLACING OLD ONES AT A RAPID PACE. AND,
UPSKILLING WILL BE MADE CHALLENGING BY THE FACT THAT MUCH OF
WHAT STUDENTS LEARN IN A TECHNICAL COURSE AT COLLEGE WILL
BECOME OUTDATED WHEN THEY REACH THE EMPLOYMENT STAGE.

11. THE UTILITY OF HUMANS AND ROBOTS
• OBVIOUSLY, HUMANS AND ROBOTS SHOULD BE USED WHERE AND WHEN EACH ARE
MOST USEFUL. AS TECHNOLOGIES FOR ROBOTS IMPROVE THE NUMBER OF THOSE
TASKS THAT ROBOTS ARE BETTER AT WILL INCREASE.
• CURRENTLY ROBOTS ARE BETTER THAN HUMANS AT A NUMBER OF THINGS.
MACHINES CAN PERCEIVE BEYOND THE HUMAN VISUAL SPECTRUM, THEY NEED A
SMALLER MASS OF CONSUMABLES (E.G., FOOD), THEY ARE MORE EXPENDABLE,
AND THEY CAN BE BUILT TO BETTER TOLERATE ENVIRONMENTAL EXTREMES (E.G.,
COLD AND RADIATION).