Robotic Process Automation in Smart System

Platform: A Review
1st Noor Falih 2nd Suhono Harso Supangkat 3rd Fetty Fitriyanti Lubis
School of Electrical Engineering and School of Electrical Engineering and School of Electrical Engineering and
Informatics Informatics Informatics
Institut Teknologi Bandung Institut Teknologi Bandung Institut Teknologi Bandung
Bandung, Indonesia Bandung, Indonesia Bandung, Indonesia
Faculty of Computer Science [email protected] [email protected]
Universitas Pembangunan Nasional
Veteran Jakarta
Jakarta, Indonesia
[email protected]

Abstract— Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is routine A study conducted by Mary Lacity et al [5] reports that the
rule-based process automation to reduce costs and increase UK's second largest mobile operator, Telefónica O2, has
efficiency. In recent years, RPA becomes an interesting thing for automated more than 160 process areas using RPA. The
researchers. This paper presents a literature study on RPA the overall Return on Investment (ROI) generated in three years
2022 International Conference on ICT for Smart Society (ICISS) | 978-1-6654-7135-0/22/$31.00 ©2022 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/ICISS55894.2022.9915043

focuses on discussing the definition, tools, benefits, business area is between 650% and 800%. In a study released by Infosys,
domains, and various problems that arise in RPA research. In that the implementation of RPA can reduce Full Time
the end, the research challenges in the RPA field were discussed. Equivalent (FTE) by 50%, and reduce manual task by 58%
and can increase processing time by 70%.
Keywords—RPA, review, process, automation
Research in the field of RPA is a relatively new topic and
I. INTRODUCTION very little research exists. However, it can be seen that interest
ISSP (Integrated Smart System Platform) is an intelligent in RPA has grown over the years. In a survey conducted by
analysis platform to integrate existing data and services, carry Enriquez et al.[6] reported that the number of publication
out an analytical process at a time to accurately monitor the trends has increased from 2012 which can be seen in Figure 1.
condition of an area. ISSP can be connected to various
services according to the needs of the area. The needs of
features in ISSP for process automation is important. In fact,
a process is not only required to work automatically but also
to work autonomously with unstructured data.
Smart System platforms are becoming increasingly
common during the COVID-19 pandemic to create digital
transformation in urban areas. There are many technologies to
support digital transformation, one of them is Robotic Process
Automation (RPA)[1]. This was confirmed in 2021 by one of
the largest initial public offerings (IPO) on the New York
Stock Exchange (NYSE). UiPath, a company founded in
Bucharest in 2005, is a market leader in RPA tools. it is said
Figure 1. Publication trends in RPA
that based on NYSE IPO assessment report shows that the
company is currently worth more than $ 60 billion [2].
The number of RPA’s keyword search on Google is
RPA uses "software robots" that automate various tasks to increasing every year, as can be seen in Figure 2.
automate routinely performed business processes. These tasks
include automated online assistants, transaction processing, Robotic process automation: (World)
and Information Technology management. In contrast to
robots that perform physical tasks, RPA is a bot software that 120
handles digital tasks such as performing keyboard operation 100
functions (move cursor, enter), mouse operation functions, 80
60
character/numeric input functions and so on. [3]. 40
RPA aims to increase efficiency by automating business 20
processes [4] and reduce the time people spend interacting 0
2012-01
2012-08
2013-03
2013-10
2014-05
2014-12
2015-07
2016-02
2016-09
2017-04
2017-11
2018-06
2019-01
2019-08
2020-03
2020-10
2021-05

with Information Systems through iterative tasks such as login

to application or system, moving large amounts of data from
one system to another, enter data, calculate and log out. These
tasks are performed by software robots, allowing employees
Figure 2. RPA’s keyword search on Google (taken from Google Trends)
to focus their time and energy on other tasks.

978-1-6654-7135-0/22/$31.00 ©2022 IEEE

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 Starting from 2016, the number of searches on the Robotic with other systems through the presentation
Process Automation keyword has increased and at the same layer.[4][5] [7][8][9] [10].
time the number of publications on RPA has increased, this
shows that RPA is a very interesting topic. • RPA can work with other applications, because RPA
tends to integrate existing legacy systems rather than
II. METHODOLOGY reengineering systems without requiring API
(application programming interfaces) integration
In conducting a review, several steps are carried out. The
[4][5] [11][12]. .
first step is to determine the scientific databases and search
keywords. The scientific databases are, Springer Link, ACM • Scalable, making it easy to handle additional
Digital Library, IEEE Xplore and Science Direct. We use workloads as needed or perform integrations
AND and OR operators to find a paper that can answer the [3][8][11][13][14][15][16].
research question. The AND operator is used for multiple
search terms, regardless of their order. The OR operator is • RPA is easy to use by non-technical people because
used to limit containing at least one term in the specified it’s provides a graphical user interface’s development
search index. environment [3][12][17][18]. Despite recent
developments, several RPA platforms have added
Secondly eliminate paper based on the title and abstract features to add program code to integrate it with
related to Robotic Process Automation from 2012 to 2022. artificial intelligence technology [19][20].
Thirdly, discuss and summarize the existing literature to
understand more deeply. Eventually, this review result must RPA was created to handle high volume repetitive
be able to answer research questions which can be seen in structured task, but recent research developments have
table 1. combined RPA with artificial intelligence that can handle
unstructured task [12][21].
TABEL I. RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND MOTIVATION Balasundaram et al. divides RPA technology into three
Research Questions Motivations categories: 1) Probots, tasked with processing data by
RQ-1 What is the RPA’s definition to identify the definition of RPA following simple and repetitive rules. 2) Knowbots, tasked
comprehensively with browsing the internet to collect and store specific
RQ-2 Which business domain are to identify which business domain information about users. 3) Chatbots, are virtual agents that
adopting RPA use RPA
RQ-3 What are the research to identify the research challenges
can respond to customer requests in real time [22].
challenges in RPA in RPA Judith et al. distinguish the terms between RPA, RDA
(Robotic Desktop Automation), BPM (Business Process
The scientific paper search process was performed in a Management), and Intelligent RPA [13] :
scientific database using specific keywords. The scientific
database is taken from the following link : RDA is not self-sufficient, acting through its users' IT
infrastructure with the same roles and authorizations known
a) https://link.springer.com/ (SpringerLink) as attended bots, by responding exclusively to user requests or
b) https://ieeexplore.ieee.org (IEEE Xplore) human-triggered events. In other words attended robot is also
c) https://dl.acm.org (ACM Digital Library) known as end user's personal assistant
d) https://www.sciencedirect.com/ (Science Direct)
RPA works independently on a server or better known as
The results of the paper search conducted from certain an unattended bot, by performing operations without requiring
database sources yielded 352 documents which can be seen user intervention, usually scheduled or can be run from an
in table II. event.
TABEL II. NUMBER OF SELECTED PAPERS Business Process Management (BPM) aims to redesign
processes for greater efficiency and effectiveness. The main
No Source Results
1 Springer Link 20
goal of RPA is to automate what already exists. BPM usually
2 IEEE Xplore 94 requires new software and has deeper access to the backend
3 ACM Digital Library 64 system. As a result, BPM developers typically need to have
4 Science Direct 174 programming knowledge and skills to create end-user
Total 352 software and tools. [3].
Intelligent RPA use artificial intelligence to emulate
III. RESULT STUDY human intelligence and perform tasks better. Unlike RPA
which handles structured data with rule-based decisions,
A. RPA's Definition Intelligent/Cognitive RPA handles unstructured data with
RPA can be defined by using robot software platform to experience/knowledge-based decisions.
working with existing application software in the same way B. Tools
that humans do, either on a process or a transaction. [3][7].
RPA uses robots to mimic iterative tasks performed by Over the past few years, many software platforms can be
humans. RPA is not a physical robot, it’s a software robot. used to support RPA implementation. Based on research from
Forrester (can be seen in figure 3) in the first quarter of 2021,
There are several characteristics of RPA: UiPath, Automation Anywhere, Microsoft power automate ,
NICE, and Kyron have become market leaders with strategic
• Non-intrusive / does not interfere with running
features to offer.
systems, because RPA can automate and communicate

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 limitations of RPA capabilities, key factors in the
development and implementation of software robots, and
critical success factors for RPA implementation.
Leno et.al. [25] apply process mining to extract
information about processes that can be used to identify tasks
that have the potential to be automated, or can be used to train
bots. The technique used is to retrieve information from User
Interface (UI) logs such as clicks and keylogs,
Some RPA research [5][9][17][26][27] also discussed
management issues and the impact of implementing RPA for
an agency in terms of management and organization. And
research from Andrzej Sobczak [28] who developed an early
version of the robotic capability map.
D. RPA in Smart System
K.L. Keung et al [19] implemented RPA in a cloud-based
cyber-physical system (CPS) environment of Robotic Mobile
Fulfillment System to improve the operational efficiency of
RMFS by applying the modified A * and calculate the total
travel costs of each rack. which can be moved. In this study,
nine clustering algorithms were also tested (Gaussian Mixture
Model, Affinity Propagation, Birch, Mean Shift,
Figure 3. Market Leader RPA Tools Agglomerative Clustering, Bayesian Gaussian Mixture
Model, Spectral Clustering, Density-based Spatial Clustering
The main features of UiPath: of applications with noise and K-Means) to clustering the data
on RMFS, after that the classification is done by using 6
• UiPath can be hosted in both virtual terminals or cloud- algorithms (Multi-layer Perceptron Classifier, Stochastic
based environments Gradient Descent, Support Vector Classifier, K-Nearest
• Intelligent planning and execution Neighbors, Random Forest and Gaussian Naïve Bayes) with
the aim to find the optimal combination in order to minimize
• Microsoft .NET based technology the total travel costs in different zones.
• Support for many applications Bruna et.al [29] provides a solution for an architectural
model and a statistical model of the robot's intelligence
• Can be used with web-based and desktop application function in building RPA for Call Center services at electric
features utility companies in Brazil. Meanwhile Leopold et al.[30]
• Can work with PDF, SAP, Java, .Net and other applied a combination of Natural Language Process (NLP)
technologies with RPA from text-based process descriptions to identify
tasks/processes that were candidates to be automated with
C. RPA’s Research RPA.
Huang et al.[10] Propose a framework for auditors in
Lasso-Rodríguez et.al. [31] developed a prototype
implementing and developing RPA by looking the audit
learning instructor robot for children aged 11 years, named
industry’s characteristics. In this study, a case study was used
Ailen, by combining RPA technology with Artificial
on the company's internal system (online platform
Intelligence. and also discussed that Ailen will be equipped
Confirmation.com). RPA is used to integrate between
with Facial Expression Recognition technology to detect
auditors, clients (to be audited) and the Confirmation.com
expressions from students, Eye Tracking to detect focus
which is used to help auditors to perform audit confirmations
attention from students and Reading Electrical Activity in the
more effectively with their client constituencies such as banks,
Brain through electroencephalogram (EEG).
law firms, customers, and suppliers.
Yamamoto et.al. [32] developing a smart building energy-
Qasrawi et.al. [23] proposed a model that automatically saving system. This system applies RPA to automatically
reads player data (serious game) and provides an analysis of perform energy-saving operations and remote operation. In
the player's learning ability. However, this model applies to this system, RPA is used to operate the Building Automation
only one case study and the student sample is limited. System (BAS) in which several tools are embedded in the
Judith Wewerka et.al. [13][14] [17] developed a model to BAS that are used to retrieve sensor data from a distance and
assess RPA ‘s user acceptance and the variables that influence analyze it with artificial intelligence. The BAS was previously
it using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) approach, operated manually by the operations manager.
while also providing empirical insight on business process
Pedro Martins et.al. [33] proposes an RPA application
improvements and decrements in twelve RPA projects
integrated with Machine Learning that can detect objects in
automotive industry.
real-time and dynamically in a software application interface,
Sobczak et.al [24] conducted a qualitative study on RPA increasing accuracy, flexibility, and performance regardless of
implementation in smart city using Bydgoszcz City Hall the Operating System used and interface tool’s location.
(Poland) utility document management system as a case study. Meanwhile Baidya [21] combines RPA and Machine
This paper discusses the benefits of implementing RPA, the Learning to overcome challenges related to unstructured data,

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 by combining deep learning algorithms as an analytical TABEL III. MAPPING BETWEEN RESEARCH CHALLENGES AND PAPERS
approach to process formal documents.
No Research Challenges Papers
Guha et.al. [34] proposed a hybrid anomaly detection The impact of implementing RPA
[4][5][9][17]
model for home insurance claims using Oneclass Support 1 in terms of management and
[24][26][27] [28]
Vector Machine (OSVM) and Autoencoder (AE). In this organization
study, OSVM receives an input function that represents a title Developing RPA in certain [4] [9][10][23]
2
domains [32][29][31] [24]
insurance business document that has been scaled down by an [19][21]
autoencoder. The data taken comes from a combination of 3 Intelligent/Cognitive RPA
[32][30][31][33][34]
several classes as normal or positive classes. This increases 4 RPA’s Quality [13][14] [17] [24]
the problem complexity, because the anomaly detection model
studies the distribution of several populations by considering
them as one population. Results from several experiments Secondly, it is also interesting to select a business process
were compared to traditional methods (without dimensionality that will be candidate for automation in a particular business
reduction), within tolerances based on accuracy and process area.. Currently, there have been several studies to
performance. identify candidate processes that can be automated with RPA
with process mining, but if the method is applied with certain
IV. DISCUSSION
characteristic conditions, it still needs to be explored further
From the literature review above, the challenges solved by whether it affects how to choose a business process or not.
researchers in the RPA field can be grouped. These challenges
are focused on 1) the impact of implementing RPA in terms Thirdly, measuring the quality of RPA. Existing research
of management and organization, 2) developing RPA in measures user acceptance with TAM. Using other standard
certain domains, 3) the combination of Artificial Intelligent models such as using the ISO 25010 approach or the System
(AI) and RPA (Intelligent/Cognitive RPA), and 4) how to Usability Scale (SUS) approach, or combining the three
measure the RPA’s Quality. The mapping between research models to create a more specific RPA user acceptance
challenges and related papers can be seen in table III. measurement model, and then proposing a metric for its
measurement becomes interesting for further research.
There are also various business areas that have been
resolved with RPA, ranging from auditing, gaming, education, Finally, Investigate the effect of implementing RPA on
smart building, logistics, services, smart government and management and organizations. Especially the
smart cities, which can be seen in Figure 4. implementation of RPA in Indonesia with a large number of
people and a very high number of job seekers, is RPA the best
From the literature review’s results, it can be concluded solution to increase efficiency and cut organizational costs,
that firstly, RPA combined with artificial intelligence in a what kind of model or method is suitable to be applied?
smart system is indeed a hot topic today, It's interesting to see
industry-led approaches and projects related to a particular V. CONCLUSION
case study. Such as optimization of RPA with AI for certain RPA is a new technology that began to emerge in 2012
more specific case studies (eg applying a combination of RPA

Figure 4. Robotic Process Automation Research timelines

which can be seen in the summary of publication trends along
and AI in military logistics management or military financial with keyword searches on Google which are increasing every
management and measured in terms of efficiency and year. RPA provides enormous benefits in future technological
optimization). developments. Currently, RPA technology can be seen in

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