This is the area that Osaro and Covariant, the most recent generation of robotics companies, specialize in. However, this technology wasn't commercially viable until late 2019. These robots are currently skilled in simple manipulative tasks like picking up and placing objects in boxes. However, both startups are working with customers to develop more complex sequences of actions, such as auto-bagging which requires robots that can work with translucent, crinkly or fragile materials. In a few years, almost any task that required manual labor will be automated.To better take advantage of these capabilities, some companies have begun to redesign their warehouses. Knapp is one example. It has changed its floor layout and how it routes goods so that it can determine which workerrobot or humanis best at handling different products. A central routing algorithm would route objects such as delicate pottery or net bags of marbles that are still difficult to robots to a station with human pickers. Robots would be able to pick up more common items like school supplies and household goods.Derik Pridmore is the cofounder and CEO of Osaro. Because clothing is easy to robots handle, fully automated warehouses in fashion industries could be online within two years.However, this does not mean that all warehouses will be automated in the near future. According to Michael Chui, a McKinsey Global Institute partner who studies the economic impact of information technology, there are millions of them all over the globe. He says that retrofitting all these facilities is not possible in a matter of hours.Knapp piloted one of the first Covariant-enabled robot arms in Berlin, Germany.However, there are still questions about the impact of automation on workers and jobs.Researchers have more information about the impact of automation than they did in previous waves. Recent research that examined the effects of automation at the company level found that firms that adopted robots earlier than others in their industry were more competitive, grew faster, and was able to hire more employees. Lynn Wu, a Wharton professor who co-authored the paper, said that robot-averse companies are responsible for any job losses. They lose their competitiveness, then they lay off workers.As FedEx and Amazon workers have seen, the future of jobs for humans is different. The roles of packing boxes and bags may be replaced by new ones. Some will directly relate to the maintenance and supervision of robots. Others will come from the second-order effects that result in fulfilling more orders. This would require expanding logistics and delivery operations. Wu says that middle-skilled workers will be replaced by low- and higher-skilled jobs.Experts say it is better to ease the automation trend than try to stop it. Instead of trying to stop it, experts suggest that workers should be able to reskill themselves and create new career opportunities. Chui says that there are many countries where the number of workers is declining already because of aging. The past 50 years have seen half of our economic growth come from people who worked more. That trend is not going away. These technologies have the potential to help increase productivity.It is also important to ensure that workers are able to share in the benefits.
