"We are at the beginning of the second wave in the world of robotics"

Says Prof. Zvi Schiller, from the Ariel University Center, who lectured at the Robotics and Motion Controls Conference, of the magazine Technologies

Prof. Zvi Shiler, from the Ariel University Center, presented last week, as part of the Robotics and Drive Systems Control Conference, his concept in a lecture: "The Israeli Robotics Revolution - From Vision to Reality". The conference was produced by Technologies Group, which publishes Technologies Magazine.

Prof. Schiller said: "Technological development usually occurs in two waves, and we are at the beginning of the second wave of the field of robotics. In the report from Cobb they identified low productivity in traditional industry. Without a significant change we will not be able to face the global competition. The Eckstein report recommended reducing the number of foreign workers in Israel in the fields of agriculture and nursing. None of the reports mentioned robotics as a solution. We are trying to convince the decision makers that the investment in robotics is worthwhile."

As an example, Schiller cites South Korea, where a robotics law has been enacted under which 100 million dollars are invested annually. The result is the establishment of 50 start-ups in the field and an expected growth of 60 billion dollars by 2018.

"The investment in robotics is relatively cheap. In Japan, they invest endlessly in the field and have recognized the advantages that this field provides, for example in treating an aging population. Today in Japan the robotics industry generates 7 billion dollars and the global expectation for 2020 is 420 billion dollars. In the USA they are establishing the robotics lobby and in the European Union they will invest 400 million dollars until 2010. In Israel there are only 10 companies that produce robotics solutions, apart from academia and import companies. These companies have a reputation all over the world. We hold robotics competitions in Israel and train engineers in the field of robotics, but there is no industry to absorb them. It is not certain that only the field of software development will take us forward".

Why is it difficult for Israel to invest in robotics? According to Schiller, the main problem is that it is possible to manage without robots. It is necessary to create a technological push - since there is still no demand from the market. Another reason is the fear of competition with unskilled workers. What will happen to all the people that the robots will replace? According to Schiller, they will simply have to find something else, but it is not right to delay the development of technologies for this reason. Schiller brings up the fact that the concept of using people as a smart machine is also disappearing, when industrial engineers stood in the past and measured the productivity with a stopwatch and looked for how to optimize every minute of work.

"There is a reluctance to products that work by themselves," Schiller adds to the reasons that make it difficult to adopt robotics. "In 1997 I participated in a demonstration in the US of an automatic vehicle. I sat in the back seat of a car and she drove completely alone, making detours. The purpose of the demo was to demonstrate the programming of an automatic car, but there is a fear that the public will not accept it. There is also a fear that the machines will take over us - but since there is no way for robots to have charisma and intuition, this will not happen."
According to Shiller, the economic crisis is an opportunity for development, and that alongside nanotechnology and biotechnology, it is also necessary to invest in robotics, and that if we invest today, we will have an advantage in the future. According to him, there is also a need to convert the high-tech companies into the field of robotics, since they have the software and electronics development infrastructures. Knowledge of robotics should be added to them. Schiller called on the government to establish a national institute that would serve as a laboratory for innovation, similar to nanotechnology and other fields.

Coup happens every 25 years

"The revolutions come according to a predictable cycle of new technologies. There is the curiosity stage, so everyone invests in the innovative companies. In the early 80s there was a robotics bubble that burst in 87. There is enthusiasm at first, but then you discover that the technology is not yet ready to meet all expectations, and then comes the disappointment and everyone decides to get out of the investments. In 87 all funds in the field of robotics dried up. In the stage of disappointment, the technology continues to mature but moderately until the stage of reality, in which the technology enters the market. Usually with a killer up that breaks the ground - it takes 20-25 years. If you look at the Internet - in 1969 the first NODE was activated at UCLA and then in 96 the Netscape browser came out."

Schiller described the milestones in the world of robotics that led to the point where we are today: "The first patent in robotics was registered by George Dewell in 1954, following which the Unimation company was established which created the first industrial robot. In '97 the first robot landed on Mars. He was primitive, he only knew how to receive orders from the ground and moved centimeter by centimeter and in total he traveled about 100 meters on Mars. In 1999, Sony came out with its first robot dog, and in 2000, an Israeli company developed a robot lawnmower. A robot that became a model for all lawnmowers in the world. In 2002, a robot vacuum cleaner, "Rumba", is produced, which marks a turning point in robotics, since it is sold for less than $200, at the price of an inexpensive consumer product. In 2004, again, two robots landed on Mars, but this time they are planned to operate only for a few months, and despite this, they have been operating there for 5 years now."

Schiller provided an extensive overview of the applications of robotics in the various industries. Starting with industry, where robotics is accepted, and especially in the high-tech industry, where robots must be used to prevent infections. In medicine, remote surgery eliminates the need to enter the body with the hands, and instead only a tube can be inserted through a small hole. The operation is performed by controlling the handles by the surgeon. An advantage would be the ability to perform surgery when the machine is in one place and a specialist doctor can be found anywhere in the world. Schiller also sees a future for the use of remote medicine on the battlefield, with the wounded being on the battlefield and the doctor sitting in a safe place.

According to Schiller, the field of nursing will provide a great incentive in the field of robotics, especially in light of the fact that the population is aging. An extraskeletal system that helps the disabled to walk is already under development and in about 20 years will be a matter of course. The field of security is also starting to adopt the field of robotics. The US Army predicts that one third of the vehicles, mainly for logistics purposes, in 10 years will be driverless. If it is possible to deliver supplies without endangering a driver and attaching attendants to him, then the money invested in the vehicle has gone to the maximum. The handling of the tunnels should also be handled by robots. Schiller noted the field of entertainment and leisure as neglected, but with potential. About Sony's dog, Schiller said, "It's amazing how interacting with a machine affects a person. In 2002, I happened to visit Tokyo on the dog's birthday (two years after it went on the market). There was a woman there who dressed two dogs in clothes and treated them as living beings."

The natural selection of robotics