Many companies today are utilizing industrial robots to execute dangerous, repetitive and energy and time-consuming tasks. Previously, there was little interaction between robots and human workers. However, current technology has made it possible for robots to work side by side with humans. Good as it sounds, it’s not easy to foster a collaborative human-robot co-existence.
Managing human and robot collaboration could make or break your business. Transitioning to a workplace where collaborative robots and human workers co-exist requires you to set out a meticulous plan for future operations in your company. You need to consider the impact of the robot-human co-existence on everything, from production to work culture and employee morale.
Steps Towards Human-Robot Collaboration
Robots have the potential to make work operations more efficient and much cheaper. However, a poor working relationship between robots and humans could jeopardize the benefits of robots and diminish the human resource output. Here are a few steps you could take towards fostering a beneficial human-robot collaboration.
Get Over Your Fear
Whether you acknowledge it or not, artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way operations are undertaken. As a savvy leader, you have to embrace this evolution and capitalize on the upsides while looking for creative ways of minimizing the downside as much as possible. Fearing the worst of artificial intelligence could significantly jeopardize efforts to foster collaboration between robots and humans.
Redefine Collaboration
There has always been fear that robots will replace the need for human labor. But this is not entirely true. Most people don’t realize that the more robotic minds a workplace have, the greater the need for human intelligence.
While the human mind cannot compete with Google or Excel, it can interpret and apply data more creatively, empathetically, and strategically than robots. Hence, you need to ensure that your human resource has skills that complement rather than compete with technology when redefining collaboration.
Employ Workers with the Right Skill Set
Employing a human resource with a suitable skill set will ensure that the relationship between robots and humans is beneficial. Having an open-minded workforce will ensure that each worker is given tasks that equal their ability. While the algorithms do their thing, the human experts oversee and refine the efficiency of cobots.
Delegate Tasks in a Smart Way
Begin the transition by introducing robots in areas that provide the most benefits to human workers. Identify repetitive tasks that require a low level of identification and use robots to execute these tasks. Alleviating the burdens of energy and time-consuming tasks on your employees will enable them to appreciate the benefits of collaborating with cobots rather than view them as threats.
Cultivate a Culture of Trust
The fear of replacement can quickly demoralize your employees and reduce their productivity. It is prudent to introduce technology incrementally to ensure that they view cobots as welcome partners. The gradual incorporation of technology in company operations will give humans adequate time to appreciate, adjust to changes and gain confidence in the benefits of working with machines.
It is also important to remind your human employees that cobots are the call upon resources, and they are the ones with the most vital skills- reasoning, understanding, and context. Fostering a culture of trust encourages a collaborative and valuable human-robot relationship.
Conclusion
Advanced artificial intelligence will considerably increase the capabilities of robots in the future. They will perform more challenging tasks and recall previously done jobs. They may also have the ability to diagnose and fix any technical issues they encounter, thereby eliminating the need for a human to execute these tasks.
However, it might take longer for robots to gain reasoning abilities or challenge the human capacity to brainstorm and make logical and empathetic decisions. It is critical for you to combine the strength and precision of robots with the human ability to reason and strategize for a perfect working relationship.
