by Marc Phillippe Babineau

Created on: April 06, 2009   Last Updated: April 10, 2009

Robots used in the automotive industry range from crash-test dummies and crash-worthiness testing, assembly line manufacturing, lifting and moving of engines and other heavy loads. They even have robots that tow the vehicles out of the plant and park them where they are to be held until loaded onto their transport platforms. The more popular of the automotive industry robots are actually very simple, articulated arms with control panels that perform riveting, screwing, bolt tightening and welding duties. These could be considered mechanical arms, but they do have the major components that make up a robot.

All of the robot's tasks are jobs that were taken from people, and then people wonder what happened to the automotive industry.

A look at how the automotive industry uses robots would also have to include the job losses that they wrought. With the trickle-down effect of lost jobs with every automotive job lost to automation, there are fewer and fewer people able to buy cars and houses. Then, less cars get purchased, manufacturers lay off more people, less cars are bought, until finally the automakers are running major deficits, where they were just a decade ago as big as big-oil.

The automobile industry decided to use robots in their manufacturing processes in order to save money. In the long run, the money saved may have been in the millions of dollars, but not much more. The robots keep breaking down, and when they do, the entire assembly line comes to a grinding halt. Recalibration is needed constantly, and humans still need to monitor the robots for safety and productivity issues. The funny thing is, robots may have single-handedly caused the recession that the world is currently starting to feel the effects of.

In the automobile manufacturing process, robots are used for most of the heavy lifting and precision work. Humans need to do the finishing work, attach wiring harnesses and drive the cars out of the plant into the lots. Oh, wait, that's being done by new robots now, robots that were designed and built just drive the cars and park them in assigned spots. Just to take 12 to 36 well paying jobs away from each of the many manufacturing facilities. Robots were supposed to make mankind's life easier, not cause hardship at global magnitudes.

The automobile industry even uses robots to make robots to make automobiles, and that is a really sad reflection on the greed of the automakers. Is there any wonder that they need Billions of dollars just to stay afloat

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