As the robotics industry has ramped up its research and development and robot technology has advanced almost exponentially over the past several years, there has been a lot of hype surrounding the idea of robots in the workplace.

Robot workers and tech could influence the economy and the job market in a variety of ways across countless different fields and industries. When you think of robots in the workplace, the first things that may come to mind include robot workers in manufacturing plants or robot doctors in the hospital. 

The use of personal robotics in office settings is a largely influential—yet largely overlooked—aspect of robots in the workplace that actually already exists in the present. Keep reading to learn more about the development of personal robotics and the personal robot devices and prototypes that are already a reality. 

AI Tech Sets the Scene

Artificial intelligence technology—such as Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri—have set the scene for the advancement of robots as personal assistants. These virtual assistant AI technologies have helped pave the way for the development of personal robotics in the workplace.

These technologies are able to respond to users’ voices and address users by name. They can check the weather and send text messages dictated to them by users. They can also search the Web to answer users’ questions. However useful they might be, these virtual assistant AI technologies remain somewhat limited in their functionality. They are unable to perform tasks independently. They lack a human-ness that might allow them to stand in as valid replacements for personal assistants in the workplace. 

Google Duplex and Amazon Vesta

Google Duplex and Amazon Vesta are two examples of personal assistant robots that are already in existence today. These robots represent the convergence of robotics and AI tech. This convergence allows for the creation of more independent and capable personal robots. These advanced robots could realistically perform many of the same tasks as human personal assistants. 

Google Duplex first launched in early 2018. This groundbreaking technology incorporated both robotics and AI tech to create a human-sounding robot. The robot is able to perform a multitude of helpful tasks over the phone. These tasks include making restaurant reservations on its own without requiring users to communicate with the restaurant at all themselves. 

Amazon Vesta is a personal assistant robot that has been in development since 2018. While it is not yet available on the market, Vesta will be a personal AI assistant. It will be a mobile robot that can maneuver independently around an environment and come when called. The full functionality of the Amazon Vesta still remains unknown. However, its prototypes suggest that this AI assistant could take the place of human personal assistants in many homes and offices.

The use of personal robotics in the workplace is likely to continue to expand over the next few years. If you’re interested in how personal robotics can be useful in various office settings, check out these Future Workforce Certifications offered by the Perpejulant Institute.