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Robots Workplace

Vocabulary and speaking b2 c1

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MARIA JOSE SÁNCHEZ
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20 views

Robots Workplace

Vocabulary and speaking b2 c1

Uploaded by

MARIA JOSE SÁNCHEZ
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What can you see in the pictures? What are its functions?

Meet Bob and Baxter

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27995372 http://www.wired.com/2012/12/ff-robots-will-take-our-jobs/all/

BOB BAXTER
FUNCTION

RELATIONSHIP
WITH HUMANS

a) needs human
assistance?

b) designed to
replace humans?

c) physically
dangerous to
humans?
Will workplace robots destroy more jobs than they create?

From self-driving cars to robotic postal deliveries, from carebots for elderly people to surgical snakes, the technology
sector promises riches for the companies that design and engineer the bestselling automatons. But what happens to the
staff whose tasks they take on? Does the new technology help them work more efficiently, or does it put their livelihoods
at risk? It is a bone of contention between academics, with some convinced that offloading work on to machines will
worsen unemployment, while others believe it will boost prosperity.

Find these words in the text:

1. employment

2. to increase

3. the subject of a dispute

4. fortune, wealth

5. employees, workers

6. effectively

7. to damage, to diminish
Rise of the robots

Put the missing sentences in the gaps in the text.

A. But it's not just physical machines that are on the rise - software "bots" are
also reshaping the workplace.
B. Dr Frey says such major new technological developments will only
accelerate over the coming years.
C. China, for example, last year became the world's largest buyer of industrial
robots.
D. The BBC already uses a different robotic camera system in its studios.
E. Companies across the world are investing in new technologies that could
automate a whole range of jobs.

Last year, the number of industrial robots sold globally hit a record high of
179,000. Germany, Japan and the United States have become main investors
in automated technology, but even in nations where low-wage factory work is
common, there are clear signs of machine adoption. (1) ….. Machines are
finding their way into India too.

(2)… In Germany, for example, the robotics firm Kuka is testing an unmanned
TV camera for live broadcast that promises to offer "smooth, shake-free
camera work". (3) ….. Meanwhile in Japan, the robotics manufacturer
Yaskawa has produced a dual-arm robot that can assemble goods on
production lines with human-like dexterity. Foxconn, a China-based assembler
of iPhones which employs more than a million people, has told the BBC it is
investing in automation technologies to help absorb its intense workload.

(4)… In March, the Los Angeles Times automatically published a breaking


news story thanks to an algorithm that generates a short article when an
earthquake occurs. And cab service Uber is able to stay competitve in part
because its software automatically matches empty cars with passengers,
eliminating the need for human dispatch operators. Uber's boss Travis
Kalanick has said he will eventually be able to cut costs even more when he
eventually replaces the fleet with driverless vehicles.
Discussion

1. Which jobs are at the risk of being performed by


robots? Why?

2. What are some “safe jobs”? Why?

3. How far do you agree with the quote below:

“This is not a race against the machines. If we race against them, we lose.
This is a race with the machines. You’ll be paid in the future based on how
well you work with robots.”

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