For several years, automation solutions have been used broadly in high-value industries such as the manufacturing industry. Production lines are now seeing robots outnumber people by combining software, AI, computer vision, and robotics, especially where processes are reproducible and require accuracy. The implementation of automation has been progressive in other industries. But this is about to change, because of Covid-19’s influence.
Here are the principal aspects in which the pandemic is accelerating the adoption of automation.
Education
The on-going digitalization of everything leashed on the globe by the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected education.
Automation helps students and instructors to connect and participate in learning experiences in innovative ways. As well as monitoring patterns and assessing student awareness, it also holds promise for lesson planning and administrative duties, eventually allowing teachers to concentrate on hands-on learning.
Despite their curiosity, expertise, or level of education, the COVID-19 pandemic has driven students and teachers alike into the digital age.
According to Thomas Frey, DaVinci Institute’s Executive Director and Senior Futurist, the pandemic and the subsequent edutech boom could just be the final attempt needed to grow technology to a stage where it can change the entire education and learning environment.
“This pandemic is a period of great chaos. In the middle of chaos comes great opportunities. My thinking is that we absolutely need to hyper-individualize education.”, he summarises.
Data optimization
In order to optimize business insights, automation helps businesses to gather and analyze data. For example, the speed of processing of COVID-19 test results decreases manual procedures and allows doctors to concentrate on treating a patient.
Automating the aggregation of data ensures that business executives have the most current information they need to advise and build future plans.
Speeding up recovery
The world seemed to pause when COVID-19 hit the pandemic stage. Factories closed down, consumer products started to spill out of the storage backlog, shifts operated by healthcare workers, and the travel & hospitality industry took a hit so severe that recovery would take years. While the question of whether the impact of the pandemic could have been reduced by further automation is questionable, in the post-COVID world it is clear that automation will accelerate recovery.
In manufacturing, the industry where 78% of businesses acknowledged that they did not have enough workers to operate a full production line, it would be greatly advantageous for recovery to have automation elements. For example, having a high-performance robot, performing better for longer times, without stopping, can be a great rescue for the economy waiting to improve.
The patient experience
Automation has the ability in the medical industry to transform the patient experience. It helps to minimize the risk of disease by reducing patient exposure, and that is crucial in the age of coronavirus. It is also possible to use automation and associated technology to distribute medication, plan consultations, and even treat and triage symptoms.
Automation may also help practitioners leverage the resources of personnel and provide greater power over their healthcare needs to patients. Safe connections allow patients to access and even communicate directly with their care providers for essential information. Effective feedback instruments often allow information to be exchanged by patients and clinicians when it is most beneficial for them.
Automation and AI solutions are making an impact by streamlining workflows and helping minimize doctors’ burnout.
Some healthcare systems are looking for AI algorithms to assist their clinical decision-making process to help optimize operations in hospitals during the pandemic.
Revealing inefficiencies in different industries
Many market deficiencies have been revealed by COVID-19, causing some critics to reconsider their automation attitude.
Although some form of automation is already used by several manufacturers, there are still discrepancies to be tackled. If more elements of automation, such as robotic systems (robots that work together with human operators to perform certain tasks) were used in the manufacturing process, enabling less human intervention, the ongoing effect of the closures could not be felt yet.
The ultimate objective of automation is to cut costs and increase productivity in as many industries as possible. For everyone involved, it will make life more enjoyable. There’s a misconception that automation will take jobs away, but in many other ways, it will also generate opportunities, making it a win-win scenario.