Domestic Robot free essay sample

This essay aims at discussing domestic robots that may change the lives of Hong Kong people within the next 50 years by looking at possible future applications of science. In the bygone day, robots were used in industrial field and mostly not related to people. People rarely think that they would interact with robots. Nowadays, robots are covered in different fields, such as domestic. Domestic robot is a robot used for household chores. In this essay, the first part is a brief introduction of background science and applications of robot. Another part is then focusing the applications possible future impacts on the lives of people living in Hong Kong. The essay will conclude by analyzing whether domestic robot would be an integral part of Hong Kong. Science The domestic robot can do works alike human by understanding the trajectory formation in human reaching movement [1]. In order to reach this goal, the robot consists of components including a movable physical structure, a motor, a sensor system, a power source and a computer [2]. The robot can provide services by different starting. The first one is direct command on the domestic robot by human. Speech and gesture are normal communication channels to instruct the robot [1][3]. Another method to trigger the robot services is the sensation of robot around the environment. The tactile sensor of robot gives information about pressure and contact points. Therefore, collision is prevented and the motion of robot is then reverse [1]. After receiving the signals from the environment or human, the computer interprets the signals to move the robot’s body [2]. The robot can, therefore, work either by their own or by human’s instructions. Application of robots Robot can work as a household assistant. They can perform multifarious tasks at home. Firstly, they can do all the household tasks such as sweeping floor, controlling the technical home infrastructure. Secondly, they can take care of the elderly or the children whenever there is no adult at home. They can provide mobility aid which supports the elderly for walking at home or getting up from chair [1]. They can serve meal to the kids timely to satisfy their stomachs. Moreover, they have the function of communication and social integration. They can, for example, communicate with public and medical facilities or supervise urgent signs and emergency call [1]. With the existence of robots, lots of troublesome household works can be eliminated and less human resources are needed to be consumed. It can also ensure the elderly or children safety when they are at home alone. Potential future impacts Using domestic robots can de facto improve the quality of lives of Hong Kong people. As Hong Kong is an economic-based society, nearly every citizen needs to work for whole day. Time is precious for everybody in Hong Kong. Using robot at home can really make Hong Kong people more convenient and efficient. Assistant robots may save myriads of time of Hong Kong citizen. When Hong Kong people go back home after a hard-working day, having a robot at home can help them to finish their household works without making any efforts. The Robot can do every cleaning work and cook for human. They can enjoy their dinner or watch television without going to do laundry or sweep floor. They can spare less time to do such trivial matters and take rest early to be ready for working hard on next day. It can make the citizen more efficient in this busy city. The ageing problem is becoming more serious in Hong Kong. The main reason is that the birth rate of Hong Kong is the lowest among the world and the life span of the citizen is increasing. It is estimated that the proportion of the elderly in Hong Kong would greatly increase in the following 30 years. In 2003, there are 11. 9% of seniors of the population in Hong Kong which is about 810 thousand people. In 2013, the number would rise to 13. 2%. In 2033, it is expected the percentage of senior would become 27% [4][5], meaning that average 3 young people will be required to take care of an elderly. It would be a physical burden for the young people to take care of their old parents. Therefore, having a robot with the elderly can help them to live independently without guardians’ supervision. The burden on Hong Kong young people can be lightened. Besides, they can give 24-hour monitoring and medical management to the seniors [1]. As a consequence, it can reduce the workload of Hong Kong people as well as ensure the elderly the better quality of life. Conditions about the future impacts The limited space we have and the unwillingness of accepting the robot at home by the seniors may affect the use of robot vitally. Hong Kong is regarded as one of the densest place in population [6]. Most of the Hong Kong citizens live in small flats that are crowded with personal stuffs. If the occupied space of robot is smaller, the greater the demand of robot would be. On the other hand, older adults may concern about the difficulty of learning a new device [7]. They are likely to get used to outmoded things, old habits and straggly technology. Therefore, they may try not to accept such new device assistant robot. Conclusion Using the robot at home is probably beneficial to our busy lives in Hong Kong. They can deal with lots of trivial matters as well as some emergencies. It can minimize our workload and offer all-round monitoring to kids and the elderly at home. In the future, domestic would most probably be important to life in Hong Kong. This conclusion is not only true for Hong Kong, but also true for many busy societies in other parts of the world.