What Are Disadvantages of Using Robots?
While robots used in manufacturing increase production speed, worker safety and financial savings, they are significantly more expensive than human labor. They also create new safety hazards and reduce the amount of jobs available. Robotic surgery is a relatively new development, with its primary disadvantages involving a lack of efficiency and the prohibitive cost.
A temporary disadvantage of integrating more robots into both manufacturing and medicine is workers’ lack of familiarity with the new technology. While this may change in the future, initial reports indicate that it requires a significant time investment on the part of the workers or surgeons to train with the new equipment, during which efficiency is greatly reduced. Some factories have indicated that robot-made products are of inferior quality, reducing sales. Unsurprisingly, the presence of robotic coworkers that need neither lunch breaks nor time off has bred resentment among factory workers who see their hours being reduced and their positions being replaced as a consequence.
In the medical field, concerns about compatibility and size dominate the debate over whether to use robots. Because current operating room equipment is not necessarily compatible with new robotic technology, surgeons and nurses find themselves operating by hand. There is also worry over the possibility of technical glitches during surgical procedures.
