Technology in Automotive Powertrain Assembly MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Technology in Automotive Powertrain Assembly. Answer: Introduction: The company is a small Artificial Intelligence company in Brisbane; they are interested in using the tech of robotics in the fields of mining, transport, manufacturing and domestic consumption. They have already started a small robotics business but would like to expand the business with a five-year plan, basing on their competency in the ICT field. The companys CEO would like the company to expand in the direction of robotics and expand into Asia and the whole of Australia. The report is to be presented to the board members so that they can be informed in this field as they make the decision on what area they will expand in. As the ICT manager I have been tasked with carrying out the research and compiling this report to provide the required data. The report aims at informing the executive management on the topic of robotic technology deeply so that they can make a decision on whether they will implement the CEOs recommendation for it to be the way they expand the business. When they have all the information, both positive and negatives, they can then better make the decision on what to do in the best interests of the organization. The objectives of the report include; defining robotic technology, to find if the applications of this technology are in line with the five-year strategic plan of the company, to give the advantages and disadvantages of using this technology. Also to give the various risks the company may face, the social, moral and legal problems that may arise, to give solutions to all the problems that will be present and finally to give recommendations on the topic and whether or not it is profitable to the business if implemented. The methodology used to get data was through interviews and questionaries granted to people in the robotics field. The report will first define the key terms of the report that is robotics clearly, what it means and what exactly it is. It will then give the applications of robotics in the different industries the company wants to expand into.Then it will give the advantages and disadvantages of using robotic technology in the business like addressing the risks that the robotics technology has on security and technology in the company, then it will give a list of solutions to the problems from the use of robotics. Then it will discuss the findings of the research and finally give the recommendations on the research topic. The definition of robotics. Robotics is the field in technology that appertains to the draft, manufacture, working, and use of robots. A robot is a motorized apparatus which can be programmed to do duties and interrelate with its surrounding, without help from human touch at all.Simply it is the study of robots. These robots are apparatuses that can be used to perform tasks (Kurfess, Ed.,2004). Some of them can do tasks on their own. Other robots need humans to operate them. Furthermore, it is a field in engineering; this discipline interrelates with computer science, artificial intelligence, bioengineering, mechatronics, electronics, and nanotechnology.(Deb Deb, 2010) Robotics can be applied to different fields in todays market, but this report will focus on the areas our company intends on expanding into and focusing on. The fields include mining, domestic use, transport, and manufacturing areas. First in the mining sector the applications of robotics include; Material management automation. The robotics technology can be applied here to make work easier; these mines can use automated trucks to transport heavy goods from one point to another for processing through dangerous areas safely without putting workers in danger. Rio Tinto applied this method in 2008 and had great success and improved business for themselves. Tasks that are dangerous and repetitive are now automated, and also by doing this, it will reduce gas consumption and environmental depletion at the same time (Qian et al, 2006). Other applications are operations, like computerized belt scanning, used every day to observe the wear in the mineral conveyor belt. GPS steered robots used for making maps of the tunnels in the mines and also detecting where the minerals are or if there is gas by using a vision system. All these applications have the same objective to reduce danger to employees and to increase efficiency and productivity (Qian et al, 2006). Next field of implementation is the manufacturing sector. Material handling robots can computerize some of the repetitive and dangerous duties in a production line in factories. Assembly robots can be equipped with vision structures and force sensing which help and aid it to put together the manufactured product to its final form reducing costs (Bischoff, Kurth, Schreiber, Koeppe et al, 2010,). Then the dispensing robots are used for gluing, painting, spraying and applying adhesive to make the end product consistent and safe. The final product is then subject to inspection by robots made for this purpose. They are good to see if the products meet the industry standards hence these robots inspect the products ineptly and will and discover any errors made (Engelberger, 2012). Another area is applying the robotics at home. These applications include it can be used for cleaning different parts of the house like the vacuum cleaner is used to clean dust around the house. Then there are computerized pool cleaners which have a timer to clean pools; there are automatic litter changes which change cat litters. Another one is the lawn mower which helps keep the outside clean. Another application is food preparation; there are new technologies in the robotics which contribute to making cooking easier (Sahin, Guvenc,2007).They include automated barbecue makers, ovens, and fryers which do not need much human handling as long as you have set a timer to prepare food. Another application is entertainment; there are many robots and other equipment using robotics that can be used to bring happiness to people. Like a doll which dances and makes children happy and also machines for karaoke. Finally, it can be used to aid in learning at home; they can use them to learn about topics that interest those (Zhang et al. 2004). The final area is the transport sector. The applications include first there will be automated cars which will increase the efficiency of travel and keep the roads accident-free. Then it can be used to give tickets to travelers in public transportation; this is efficient as they do not tire and are not prejudiced. They are also used to move the trains and buses from one point to another. They can be used to load and offload heavy goods safely from the cars thus avoiding harm to humans. Finally, they are used to lead people from one point to the next to get to their transportation safely and fast (Murata, Kurokawa,2007). Advantages and disadvantages of robotics technology The use of robots has several benefits to businesses and people around them they include; the first land can be reclaimed and put to better use. These lands are ones that are occupied by the millions of cars owned by humans hence when these automated cars are used they need little space for storage hence the rest of the garages and land are put to use in expanding businesses (Navarro, Galn, 2008, May). It also increases productivity in companies because firstly, Robots manufacture perfect and excellent work. They also make mistakes rarely and also their work is more precise as compared to employees. They produce large amounts of property in a short period. They can also work consistently with no need of vacations or breaks (Hernando, Galan, Navarro, Rodriguez-Losada, 2011). Next advantage is that it ensures that there is safety in the workplace by. First, the robots keep the employees from doing the challenging and dangerous work. They can work in unsafe conditions, like inadequate lighting, chemicals that are toxic or small spaces. They can also lift heavy loads and not get hurt or tired. Robots increase the safety of employees by ensuring that humans do not get into accidents when doing dangerous jobs (Groover, 2007). It also increases savings made by businesses. When the robots are used in production, they save time used in production thus the firm produces more goods. They reduce waste of materials because tasks are not repeated. Robots save organizations funds in the long run with quick returns from investments made, fewer worker injuries thus they do not require compensation (Melhuish, Ieropoulos, Greenman, Horsfield,2006). They have also led to job creation because these robots require special handling hence new employees will be hired to do these tasks thus benefiting the people. Also, those with knowledge of programming will also get jobs in production and maintenance of the robots (Vertut, Ed.,2013). They have also taken the tedious work from employees, and they can now be assigned to new challenging jobs for them. Also, they have kept the companies competitive as the companies want to be the best in the field they are in(Murata, Kurokawa,2007). The use of robotics can also have adverse effects on businesses. First, by using these robots in the workplace, these offices are prone to cyber-attacks. It can be possible because the robots can be hacked if proper care is not taken and the malicious software installed in the robots program can then infect the office computers and hence expose the data of the company to the hackers (Yim, Shen, Salemi, Rus, Moll, Lipson, Chirikjian,2007). The robots can also go off program and cause harm to the individual employee when they malfunction. When they do this, they will cause losses to the company because of the cost incurred when repairing the machines and also treating the employee. Another disadvantage is that they have made some jobs obsolete thus humans will be fired as the robots can do these tasks efficiently and cheaper (Carlsson, Ed.,2012). The followingproblem is that there is difficulty in understanding that the business will initially have to make a significant investment to implement robotics in the firm. Itexpects to see results immediately with reduction of cost, but it will take time for the use of robots in the company to produce results. Also, the machines have to be regularly maintained thus the cost will go up. Also, these devices require specialized training to handle hence this will add on to the cost to the company (Sullins, 2008). From an ethical and social standpoint, the use of robotics technology is quite controversial in today's society because there will discuss different issues. First is that there will be difficulty in determining how the wealth will be distributedthe machines have created that. Also, human behavior will be different as they interact with the devices they may be affected negatively if they only interact with the robots. Also, there is the issue of humans creating artificial intelligence is ethically wrong as they are acting as God which is incorrect. Finally, it is morally wrong for machines to take jobs from people (Bekey,2012). Some of the solutions that can be implemented to solve these problems that come with using the robotics technology include; first the robots can be fitted with software that protects it from hacking and viruses hence, in the long run, safeguarding the data in the office (Navarro, Galn, 2008, May). Also, the companies can carry out research on the robotics tech and how much it will cost to implement it. Thus with this information, they can be ready when they decide to use the technology. Hence they will know what is required of them before hand and also they will know the market they are entering. Finally, people can be educated on robotics technology deeply so that they do not feel anxious about them and see how beneficial they are (Pan, Polden, Larkin, Van Duin, Norrish, 2012). Conclusion In conclusion from the above report, we can say that robotics technology has a various application the fields the business can grow into. They have been statedclearly. Thus we can see that they are many and we can be sure that if we start production of such technology, it will be profitable to our company. We can also see how useful this technology is to the different places it's can be used in however there are also adverse effects, but as stated above there are various solutions that can use. The ethical and legal standpoint offer a challenge, but it can be dealt with carefully as this is a profitable way of expansion. Recommendations I would recommend that the company start the expansion as suggested by the CEO as this is the right path to take with todays market. It will ensure profitability. Also, I would indicate that the company set apart the necessary fund to be used to start the implementation of this sector of the business. These funds will be utilizedfor production, training, hiring and also ensuring that every requirement is met. I would also recommend that my ICT team get a bettereducation so that they can combat any cyber issues that may arise (Viswanadham,2002). References Bekey, G. (2012). Current trends in robotics: technology and ethics. Robot ethics: the ethical and social implications of robotics. MIT Press, Cambridge, 17-34. Bischoff, R., Kurth, J., Schreiber, G., Koeppe, R., Albu-Schffer, A., Beyer, A., ... Hirzinger, G. (2010 , June). The KUKA-DLR Lightweight Robot arm-a new reference platform for robotics research and manufacturing. In Robotics (ISR), 2010 41st international symposium on and 2010 6th German conference on robotics (ROBOTIK) (pp. 1-8). VDE. Carlsson, B. (Ed.). (2012). 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