By Dr. William Oliver Hedgepeth
Faculty Member, Transportation and Logistics Management       

Robot arms are growing by the thousands each year in manufacturing, logistics services and supply chain operations. There are various pros and cons with their use, however.

For instance, a robot arm can efficiently perform a predefined task or set of tasks over and over, without the need for regular breaks. Unlike humans performing the same type of job, a robotic arm will not decide to walk off the job, get sick or take a break to talk to someone.

However, a robotic arm is heavy and loud. It can also cause injury to a human if someone stands too close to it.

Robot arms require sophisticated programming through the use of artificial intelligence software that controls the arm’s movement. For instance, the arm needs to be able to:

• Sense an item
• Know the location of an item to be picked up
• Apply the right amount of pressure when picking up the item with by robotic “fingers”
• Pick up an item quickly according to whatever speed a human manager programs into the arm’s software
• Work nonstop over a shift that could last 10-24 hours or more

Considerations for Designing Robot Arms

Robot arms are definitely useful in industrial settings. But there are also other considerations to using them. For instance:

• How should the arm be powered? Will it use a battery, solar cell, fuel cell, an electric plug or nuclear power?
• Will the robot arm be stationary, or will it need to move around a warehouse? If a robot arm is programmed to move around a building, it needs to be able to sense other robots and humans to avoid injuries or malfunctions.
• Will the robot arm communicate with other arms in the same building?
• How can the arm’s software be reprogrammed when a company implements new methods or operational procedures?

Ideally, robotic arms that can navigate around a warehouse need to learn from their mistakes. This strategy will prevent them from hitting objects, walls, and humans; it will also inhibit them from picking up the wrong item.

Also, additional work needs to be done to enable robot arms to reliably work in hostile environments, dangerous weather or military combat operations.

A near-perfect robotic arm would be able to work continuously and at the same time self-diagnose the need for a repair. It would have a sensor and software to determine that a part of the robot arm was not working or was working incorrectly. As part of such a self-assessment, that robot arm’s software would also need to communicate to the other hundreds of robotic arms also working in a warehouse about its impending failure.

Related link: A New Awareness of the Importance of a Well-Run Supply Chain

Other Uses for Robotic Arms

Robot arms are appearing more and more in the medical profession. The reliability of a medial robotic arm, however, is more significant than a warehouse version.

Healthcare providers must decide how much autonomy to give a medical robotic arm. Ideally, a surgeon would monitor a robotic arm but be ready to step in if a surgical procedure was going wrong.

Robot arms could also be utilized for routine painting. It would not tire over a long work shift of 8-12 hours and would not get sick from the paint fumes.

Related link: 3 Logistics Lessons We’ve Learned from COVID-19’s Masterclass

The Logistics and Legalities of Using Robot Arms

The logistics of using robotic arm technology also need consideration. For example, when does a human oversee robot arms? Should the human be monitoring all robotic arms continuously? Remember, these arms can work well beyond the amount of time a human can normally work.

Legalities are another consideration. When a robotic arm fails at its assigned task, who is at fault? Is it the human manager, the arm’s designer or the software programmer?

As the use of robotic arms grows, legal issues will also increase because machines can make mistakes. Who is to blame for these mistakes? The legal system may need to produce new rules for each kind of robot arm system.

The Future Use of Robot Arms

In summary, the use of robot arms is unfolding across manufacturing, logistics, supply chains, healthcare providers and retail businesses. These arms are no longer just experiments in a laboratory or college class.

Companies that are currently promoting robots and robotic arm usage are:

• Puma North America
• Nimble Robotics, Inc.
• Interact Analysis
• SB Logistics Corporation
• Berkshire Grey
• SoftBank Robotics Corporation
• Bimbo Bakeries USA
• Dexterity Inc.
• GXO Logistics, Inc
• Knapp AG

One of the reasons for the increased use of robot arms is significantly growing customer demand, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020. These arms are not totally replacing human workers. Instead, they are taking over routine, mundane jobs and providing useful assistance for companies with pandemic-related labor shortages.