Robotics is part of the high-tech industry and the speed with which it is growing, there are plenty of lucrative opportunities, says Ishan Gupta
We live in incredibly interesting times. This is the first human generation to have seen multiple incredible, transformative technologies shape and shift society in such a short span of time — the Internet, smartphones and cloud-computing, amongst others. However, greater things are to come.
The stunning speed with which automation, Artificial Intelligence and robots have evolved will have far-reaching effects on the economy, industry, and society. About 7.5 lakh robo-surgery operations were conducted in 2016, and 80 per cent of stock markets are using robot traders. Self-driving cars and other automated systems are poised to disrupt transportation, with several companies like Google and Uber jockeying to be the first to bring a robotic car to the market. Amazon is using robots in its warehouses for logistics and has a one lakh robots in action around the world, with plans to add many more to the mix.
This isn’t the hype of five years back. It is almost guaranteed that in less than a decade, you will be interacting with automated systems or robots on a daily basis. Knowing that this transformation is coming, is a unique opportunity that many institutions are racing to tap into.
They are conducting research into different ways in which they can apply these technologies to their current processes to become more efficient. So why shouldn’t youIJ If robots are going to be a big thing in the economy in the future, wouldn’t getting skills in robotics engineering put you ahead of the game and help your careerIJ
For many people, robotic engineering skills are the technical equivalent of the Greek language — a difficult and inaccessible realm that has no bearing upon their lives and interests. What they are unaware of is that development in robotics and being educated in the skills required for robotics have both come a long way.
Today, becoming a Robotics Engineer has less to do with complex manufacturing of robotic parts and much more to do with replicating human processes. Much of the development in the field of robotics has to do with replicating how humans look and react to the world. Computer vision — the systems that help automated systems ‘see’ and react to the world around them — help robots process, analyse, and interact with objects in their environment. Substantially advanced toolkits exist in this interdisciplinary field, and a thorough understanding of the underlying logic and basic programming skills would be enough to begin one’s journey towards becoming a robotics engineer.
Combining computer vision systems with advanced Deep learning and Machine learning algorithms create composite automated systems. These algorithms can absorb and analyse vast quantities of data instantly, working like our brains do when they process visual images. They are able to detect patterns, learn from inputs, and become iteratively smarter and more efficient at the jobs that they are programmed to do. Together, these systems act as the eyes and brains of an automated system, which can be programmed to do various tasks efficiently, tirelessly, and without error.
Robots and AI-driven systems are poised to change the nature of work across the globe. Human beings are currently engaged in many repetitive tasks that require physical labour — work that would be done more efficiently and effectively by a robot.
It is estimated that up to 45 per cent of the activities employees are paid to perform can be automated by adapting present demonstrated technologies. With a Microsoft robot recently conquering a reading-and-comprehension test by getting a score better than most humans, even white collar desk jobs might be done by robots in the near future. In this scenario, the biggest opportunities in the new world will be in the high-tech domains or AI and automation and what better way than to be a robotics engineerIJ
Becoming a Robotics Engineer is much simpler than you think. Anyone with the ability to think logically and analytically only needs instruction in the specificities of programming and the methods involved to access this exciting field of knowledge.
With some basic programming skills and the right information, all that would need is some guidance and instruction. While educational institutions are yet to catch on to the potential of fields like robotics, lifelong learning platforms are using the internet and virtual classrooms to train a new generation of future and job-ready engineers in the exciting fields of robotics and AI.
— The writer is MD India, Udacity