Over the years, Google has largely succeeded in its attempts to become more than just a search engine company, especially with the hugely popular Android operating system. Next for the tech company is a Google robotics initiative that aims to put manufacturing robots in plants and warehouses to get goods to market faster than with human workers. If successful, this could change how companies do business, including how many people they employ in warehouses and manufacturing plants.
The recent dip in energy prices has created a resurgence in the United States manufacturing industry that has brought lots of previously outsourced jobs back to the country. Those jobs may once again be in jeopardy if the Google robotics plans take off. Over the last six months of 2013, the company bought seven different businesses that produce technologies conducive to the Google robotics plans. Company executives remain quiet about specific details of these robots, but most tech observers believe that at least one of the intended targets will be electronics assembly. Most electronics assembly is now done manually by humans and can be very time consuming. Robots could do the same job in a fraction of the time for a much cheaper price—without the need for benefit or retirement packages.
The company has named Andy Rubin as the head of the Google robotics group to oversee the development of the manufacturing robots. Rubin is best known as one of the architects of the Android operating system, one of Google's biggest undertakings and successes to date. He left the Android arm of the company back in March 2013, although it was announced at the time that he would still remain with Google in a different capacity. It wasn't clear what new role he would take on until his job in the Google robotics division was revealed in December.
With the naming of Rubin as head engineer and the acquisition of the seven companies, it is clear that the Google robotics project is not just a flash in the pan. This is a huge investment using one of the company's best engineers, so there is a good chance that the project could become a huge success and change American manufacturing forever. This could result in a loss of jobs, depending on what areas of manufacturing Google decides to target. With so few specifics available, tech and manufacturing observers can only sit back and wait until the next announcement to see what kind of impact the robots might have.
It will likely still be several years before these robots become a reality and even longer before Google robotics machines could be mass-produced. Until then, the manufacturing industry is safe, and the recent boom is likely to continue. It would be prudent to keep an eye on what Google is doing because it may greatly impact the industry in the future.
(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)
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