WILL A ROBOT TAKE YOUR JOB While there are many who fear robots are on the verge of stealing our jobs, it seems they have a weak spot flat packed furniture. Much like stairs posed a problem for the Daleks in Doctor Who, the Achilles Heel of modern intelligent robots appears to be the baffling world of Ikea furniture. A group of engineers set themselves the goal of developing a robot capable of undertaking this baffling task by getting one to assemble a chair from the Swedish furniture store. Francisco Suarz Ruiz and Quang Cuong Pham, from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, are using two robotic arms equipped with grippers to assemble the Ikea chair. Yet despite being some of the most advanced robotic equipment around, assembling a full chair still seemed beyond the robot. The furthest the scientists managed to get is to insert a piece of doweling into the end of one of the legs something that takes the technology a minute and a half to achieve. The same task would take the average homeowner seconds when they are assembling their own chairs. However, there are a growing number of robots now taking on roles performed by humans. An office in Milton Keynes is using a robot office manager to monitor staff and keep the office tidy. Other offices in California have begun using security robots to patrol their premises while droids capable to delivering room service are now being used in several hotels. A survey conducted last year found that 7. John Hawksworth, Pw. Cs chief economist, said many shops could become more like showrooms, where customers look at goods before buying them online. This would lead to more giant warehouses, such as those operated by Amazon. Instead of humans, machines will increasingly sort and lift goods before they are delivered to customers in driverless vans, the experts predict. Self service tills will also become more prevalent. More than 1. 2 million manufacturing jobs are at high risk or 4. And almost 1. 1 million jobs 3. IT. However, the report said those at least risk of being replaced by robots include nannies, teachers, white collar workers in the finance industry, and communications staff. Education is a key factor with those possessing only GCSE level qualifications facing a 4. This falls to around 1. Pw. C stressed that the developments are unlikely to cause mass unemployment, as they will boost the economy, aid productivity and support some totally new jobs. Mr Hawksworth pointed out that employment is at a record high despite huge advances in technology, with numerous jobs in sectors such as manufacturing already done by machines. Strawberry Shortcake: Get Well Adventure Watch Free Online on this page. He said The experience of the last 2. It does, however, create a huge challenge to adjust. The Bank of England said earlier this week that more businesses were using robots to cut costs in the face of rising prices. Governor Mark Carney has previously warned that as many as 1.