Derobotizing human work through robotization? For Balyo, this is the key to drive humanity to take back its real and higher position in the world and foster a harmonious coexistence between humans and machines
Technology has deeply transformed our society – the way we live, the way we think, and the way we play our role of citizens. We are more integrated into the social fabric of our communities, the cultural
distance between the city and the countryside has never been so short, and powerful means of communication and transport make the world seem very small.
Nevertheless, we are prone to thinking that we’ve also missed out on the chance to really make our life better both in terms of quality and added value. Life is easier today compared to 50 years ago and even to 20 years ago, but our frenetic routine and the specter of ‘’stress’’ – one of the most used words nowadays to define our psychological condition – which are always lurking, drastically reduce our life quality.
Technology has changed our lives, making them easier. Yet we don’t feel completely comfortable about it and we are somehow nostalgic for the past. ‘’Living better today is to escape technological progress’’ declares the journalist and geographer Sylvain Tesson. It is the perfect summary of an increasingly widespread feeling. Why that? How can we conciliate technological progress with the happy and blooming evolution of the human condition? Is it really possible?
Balyo has a clear answer to fill the gap between our potential and our fears, which consists in making the most perfect marriage in the history of humanity: that of humans with machines.
The ideal cohabitation – Everything in its place
Balyo’s vision has always been the same: technology must be good for humans, or it won’t be sustainable in the long term. When it created the first robot to enable self-driven vehicles in warehouses, Balyo knew that this technology would have changed the world. Why? Because freeing people from heavy tasks by transferring them to robots means to revolutionize the concept of work, enhancing the role of the human and not undermining it.
This is the main message that Balyo wants to send to humanity: let’s define our place in this world, consolidating our active role as human beings with an incredible brain potential. Let’s do that having robots by our side, to serve us and make it possible.
Robotizing tasks to derobotize human beings
Robots were created to work on our behalf and assist us in our daily lives. The word ‘’robot’’ was invented by the Czech painter and writer Joseph Čapek and made popular by his brother Karel who used it for the first time in one of his plays published in 1920. The etymology comes from the Czech ‘’robota’’ meaning ‘’serf labor’’, which is related to the concept of slave work. The place of robots in our society is clear and it’s beside – not against us.
Since the Industrial Revolution, we have benefited from increasing mechanization of work, with considerable growth in wealth, well being and life quality for the world population. Would it make any sense to stop this incredible progress and keep doing those jobs that transform humans into robots?
We live in a society where robots are unquestionably part of our lives, they are so integrated into our daily routine that we even forget about them. Robots scare us as unknown far-away objects, but we couldn’t imagine giving up on them a single day. A harmonious coexistence between humans and machines is, therefore, the only possible way.
Driving change is always complex and takes time. We need to change the way people think to let them understand that robots are there to serve us. They can bring more flexibility, safety and simplify industrial processes. Robots ’derobotize’’ us and make us free from modern forms of slavery, which are chains for thought and free will. –
Fabien Bardinet, Chairman at Balyo
We all need to play our part to reinvent the world and reconcile us with our human essence to build a more equal, sustainable and inclusive society.
Let’s start today.