Are Consumers Ready For Robots?

Ask many older consumers and they are just a little scared of the prospect of robots in their homes or their workplace. What many don’t realise is that although you cannot see them, they are already part of our everyday lives. Robotics is used to drive Internet searches, give directions on your satnav or phone and send you reminders. They are used in our phones, our smart TV’s and our computers. Although most consumers associate robots with cleaning products they are all around us.

Ask the younger generation if they think consumers are ready for robots and you will find they are all embracing of this newer technology. They may have a concern about robots reducing the number of jobs available, but apart from that robots are very welcome in their world.

The Future Of Robots For Consumers

There is no getting away from it, robots are here to stay. Very few of them will look like the human form as portrayed in films and on the TV, but their role in our lives will continue to evolve. There are already robots for vacuuming and mowing the law, and now it appears there is one for the most thankless of household jobs, cleaning the windows.

Apart from doing our chores, robots will affect other areas of our lives as well. They will be used more in educating our children for instance. Online learning programs with facial recognition will be used to motivate children when they start to look bored, or to congratulate them when they do well.

For children of pre school age there are robots that will read them stories, sing to them or soothe them if they start to cry. They can act as a nightlight, and some have a baby monitor built in.

However, probably the biggest change will be in our workplaces, where robots are already having amazing affects.

Robots At Work

There are many jobs that are now controlled by robotics. Unmanned train stations are commonplace, as are tollbooths on roads and self-service tills in supermarkets. In Japan there is a hotel run by mainly robots, where advanced technology has been used to provide comfort and fun. Among the robots that clean the rooms and generally look after the guests, there is a dinosaur on reception.

Most of us are aware that robots have been used in factory environments for several years now, but the use of them is other roles is spreading. This is not a bad thing as they are less likely to make errors and are usually more productive.

To go back to our original question ‘are consumers ready for robots’ it does not really matter if they are or not. They are here to stay, here to make our lives easier and most of the time consumers will not even realise robots are being used.