The Next Big Growth Industry In Robotics 

Not so long ago, the thought of a workforce that included industrial robotic workers was the stuff of science fiction Bit by bit, however, industrial robotics are commonplace in the manufacturing sector and far beyond. Led by the automotive industry, the potential of robot applications in all industries has led to an explosion of different robotic workers for a wide variety of different tasks.

And while some businesses are yet to take advantage of robotics, many forward-thinkers are, and they are already asking, “what’s coming next?” Robotics manufacturers eager to see even further market growth are innovating and refining at a rapid rate, ready to deliver more models that deliver even greater power, dexterity, and intelligence than ever before. Here are three of the greatest priorities for the global robotics market, as they strive to make the factory floor smarter and more efficient for their customers.

An even stronger emphasis in Electronics and the Automotive Industry

Already the biggest adopters of industrial robotics by far, these industries are expected to drive the lion’s share of the industry’s growth rate, along with the metal, plastics and rubber industries. 
Unsurprisingly, the medical and pharmaceutical fields are also stepping up – not only in the production and packaging of products, but also in human-facing medical procedures, diagnosis, and even surgery.

Stronger Human/Robot Collaboration

Though collaborative robots (robots designed to work safely within the same physical space and on the same projects as their human colleagues) have been in use for some time already, we can expect their presence to increase dramatically.

The benefit of blending robotic and human workers in the same space is self-evident in terms of making better use of space and optimising processes that can’t be fully completed by one or the other. But another point of great value is their flexibility. Collaborative robots can easily be redeployed to other tasks without the need for too much change and investment in infrastructure, giving them a distinct edge over their robotic-arm predecessors, despite sacrifices in speed, power and payload. 

Freedom of Mobility

Self-driving cars and self-directed cleaning robots are already commonplace, and the potential of fully autonomous and mobile robots is being reimagined in the manufacturing industry as well. With better machine vision, machine learning and artificial intelligence available, industrial robots are sure to break loose of their stations and begin walking the factory floor as competently as their human counterparts. 

The pandemic e-commerce boom has caused an increasing demand for a faster and more efficient supply chain means that fulfilment centres will need to be more streamlined than ever, and industrial robots can be just the solution needed for tasks such as packaging, materials handling and stock retrieval.  

There’s even a push into the possibility of the widescale deployment of indoor drones capable of collecting data on the factory floor, scanning barcodes and managing inventory.

The Bottom Line

As they become smaller, smarter, more nimble and more accurate, the number of ways in which robotic automation can be used in the manufacturing sector is multiplying at a dizzying rate. Businesses who once thought they couldn’t use – our wouldn’t need – industrial robots in their operations are finding it more affordable and easier to implement than ever before, taking advantage of the cost savings and added competitiveness they bring.