Six Benefits of Cloud Robotics
The generation of the past imagined a future with tin foil robots, flying cars and a variety of other silver imbued equipment. We took a page from this book and invented sleek, functional robots that were literally made to make our lives easier. Robots can easily be considered as mankind’s next big invention right after the wheel, after all, the objective for both are the same.
How do these little helpers function?
Well, conventionally, they are configured with on board processing units for every single robot that is made. Simply put, every robot manufactured has a mind of its own so to speak. This while being functional, can be cumbersome.
Why?
Robot developers were limited by the amount of processing power and software they could cram into a single robot before it severely limited its capacity and capabilities.
Solution?…………………………. CLOUD ROBOTICS
Cloud, this is a term we hear almost everyday now. “Where’s the documents, the family photos, the songs, the movies? It’s on the cloud, honey”. Now, this cloud isn’t based high up in the sky, rather it’s totally virtual. A virtual platform to store away what we require the most without using up the limited space available to our gadgets. This can even include applications, databases, files and more.
With the advent of the fairy tale combination of cloud robotics, the above-mentioned issues can be easily resolved. Since these robots in its entirety are reliant on a network of systems rather than a single system, it has numerous benefits-
- Superior Processing Power
This ensures that even if the demand exceeds the robots on board processing unit’s computational and storage ability, it can be off-loaded to the cloud and where a vast datacenter can help with the CPU heavy tasks, by relying on other machines which have the processing capacity and are linked to the cloud.
2. Vast Platform Of Knowledge
Every robot linked to the same cloud can input data that can be shared and therefore known by the rest of the bots due to provision of a real time database. This is called grasping or machine learning and in the conventional sense, it is computer intensive, however with the cloud these processes can be off-loaded. Essentially, what one bot learns, every bot knows.
3. Increased Collaborative Capacity
Since the processing of each and every bot unit is cloud based, this gives the controller the ability to oversee the bots and have them do the heavy lifting, especially in cases of companies that provide logistic services in efficient packaging and handling of items. The directives for the robots are given via cloud, enabling the human controller to direct their activities from anywhere. This provides fantastic coordination and continuity in the work done between humans and robot assistance. These robots therefore have supervised autonomy where they can function independently but when assistance is required the human controller can provide assistance.
4. More Bots Deployed
Since they are connected and functional via cloud technology servers, new robots do not need to be configured or or have any other external equipment installed for its functioning. Rather it can just be connected to the cloud over Wi-Fi and the bot is functional from day one thus reducing the time it takes to get the robots functional, thereby allowing a large number to be deployed for use.
5. Cloud Aids Robot
Normally it takes a lot of processing power to make a horde of robots functional, for example in logistics and for this, a large number of servers with enough processing power is necessary, However with the cloud robotics, this becomes unnecessary since the cloud has huge data storage capacity. This also makes it easier to scale up the production of robots as per requirement.
6. Reduced IT Cost
Changes, upgrades and other software configurations can be made within the robots can be done easily since direct access to each bot isn’t required to do so. Once uploaded to the cloud, the reconfiguration affects all the bots without the requirement of a downtime. This in turn drastically brings down the cost of running IT for the proper functioning of the robots.
To sum it up, using the cloud in robotics essentially creates a hive-like mentality for the robots, making them extremely powerful, functional, more fast paced in adapting, learning and deploying. It provides them with a continuity in information that isn’t limited to one or two systems or gadgets but rather an array of it. Think JARVIS from Ironman.
Simply put, hopefully someday not far away, your fridge could let Alexa or Siri or Robbie (your very own bot) know when you’re fresh out of jam and veggies, put them on the to -buy list, which you would automatically find on our phone, because the cloud knows all and the robots do all! And one definitely would not forget the lemons for the lemonade.
