Robot dogs don't bite: how innovation is changing the job market

Inspectors used to spend hours walking through empty buildings with a camera mounted on their helmets. That work will increasingly be done by Fifi, a robot dog developed by the Leeuwarden-based tech company Syntar. According to experts, this poses no threat to the job market but is rather a solution to the existing labor shortage.

“Go full speed ahead,” a colleague says to Julian Petit (23), an employee at Syntar, a tech startup in Leeuwarden. Petit sends their new robot dog barreling toward him as fast as he can. With screeching tires, it approaches his colleague. But just before impact, the robot maneuvers around him on its own. “Want to give it a try?” asks Petit. “Sybrand Buma has controlled it, too.”

Fifi, Syntar’s new robot dog, is an example of the growing use of robotics in our labor market. Currently, the dog is used to generate floor plans, but Fifi can take over many tasks traditionally performed by humans. “Think, for example, of safety patrols on a large factory grounds or filming progress on construction projects,” says Remko Pars (52), director of Syntar.

Innovation is essential

Syntar’s robot dog also embodies innovation. Progress is the reason why the Netherlands is so prosperous, says Professor of Economics Gaaitzen de Vries, who specializes in transition and development economics. Over the past few hundred years, there has been a steady increase in knowledge and innovation in the Netherlands. “That is the only long-term explanation we economists offer for our prosperity.”

A recently published report by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) shows that innovation is indispensable for our manufacturing industry, a sector where the robot dog will be deployed. The Dutch manufacturing industry accounts for 7.2% of GDP (gross domestic product). Productivity in this sector has been growing at an increasingly slower pace for years. TNO states that investment in robotization is necessary; otherwise, bottlenecks are likely to arise in the short term. In the long term, there is a risk of structural decline. As a result, Dutch companies would no longer be able to compete with international players.

“Europe is already eight years behind,” says Pars, “and we’ll never catch up.” Fifi is, however, a step in the right direction. These types of robot dogs can work more efficiently than humans. While humans are limited to eight-hour workdays, this dog can work longer hours. Additionally, a dog is often more productive at repetitive tasks.

The fact that Fifi is more efficient and productive than humans will mean that jobs will change in the future. Fifi is already being used to conduct inspections. “It eliminates the need to manually walk an inspection route,” says Pars.

Will robots take over our jobs?

Wearing bright safety vests, inspectors typically make their rounds through empty buildings and large construction sites. A 360-degree camera is mounted on top of their helmets. All footage is uploaded and provides everything a construction developer needs to know about their project. What color is the wall? Is the ceiling in place? How many centimeters of space do I have left in my future office?

Now, Fifi rolls along on four wheels past the walls that haven’t been plastered yet. Stopping, ducking, and turning to avoid obstacles. Petit can control Fifi with a controller, but eventually, Fifi will do everything on its own with the push of a button. Syntar is developing software that will make Fifi so smart that it will no longer need to be controlled.

Marnix Munneke (63) is an inspector who spends hours walking through buildings with a camera mounted on his helmet to carry out his inspections. This is something that robot dogs will do in the future. Munneke doesn’t mind that. We’re still a long way from the point where the dog can do everything on its own, and until then, he enjoys being part of the process. “Maybe in ten years those things will be able to do everything, and then I’ll be able to say that I helped make that happen.” Munneke isn’t worried that it will take over his job: “They used to say the same thing about computers, and look at us now.”

According to economist De Vries, robotization isn’t a threat in terms of potential unemployment: “If you look at our labor market, there’s actually more of a labor shortage.” Although robotization is capable of taking over routine tasks—and thus reduces the demand for people to do this specific work—technological change actually creates new tasks, De Vries argues.

Pars makes a similar point. Syntar’s robot dog is currently taking over tasks mainly in sectors where it’s already difficult to find people, “such as construction, for example.”

“If there’s more and more work that a robot can do, that’s only a good thing,” says Munneke. He doesn’t see his own job disappearing anytime soon because of Fifi. “There’s still some intelligence involved in what I do compared to that thing, even though the robot dog is getting better and better.” Besides, he gets used to it quickly. A dog like that is exciting the first time, the second time you get used to it, and eventually it becomes routine. This also gives Munneke more time for other tasks.

The future of robotics

With its sensors pointing forward, the wheels of Syntar’s robot dog roll step by step up the stairs. “It can’t quite make it all the way up yet,” says Petit, but progress is being made step by step. The software Syntar is developing is getting better and better; eventually, Fifi will have to climb up on its own.

This illustrates a broader trend. Robots are becoming smarter and are being used in a wider range of applications. “There is currently a sharp increase in robotization across various services, such as self-checkout lanes, cleaning robots, and care robots,” says de Vries.

Syntar’s robot dog is a pioneer; ultimately, “humanoids” are the goal on the horizon. Humanoids are robots shaped like humans. However, Fifi can already be deployed in real-world settings, and there is a great deal to be learned from this. For example, by applying AI models, the humanoids will eventually be able to take over. It will still take a few years, though, before you can do anything useful with them. “Until then, it’s mostly just fun videos of robots doing dances and falling off stages,” says Pars.

For Syntar, the arrival of the humanoid is important. It can take over heavier work. “We’re going to develop it so it can help in hospitals by making up, cleaning, and tidying beds,” says Pars. These are physically demanding tasks for people, “but if you can take away some of the tasks that might be more tedious or strenuous, then they can spend more time on the things that really matter.”