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22 | The Future of Robotics Texas Instruments Sitara ™ AM57x processors are good examples of processors running AI at the edge. These processors have multiple high- speed peripherals for interfacing to multiple sensors–such as video, time of flight (ToF), light detection and ranging (LIDAR) and millimeter-wave (mmWave) sensors–as well as dedicated hardware in the form of C66x digitalsignal processor cores and embedded vision engine subsystems to accelerate AI algorithms and deep learning inference. Let's look at some of the top robotic trends today. Cobots Humans can't generally get near traditional industrial robots while they are operating without peril. Cobots are, in contrast, designed to operate safely alongside humans, moving slowly and gracefully. As defined by ISO standard TS 15066, a collaborative robot is a robot capable of being used in a collaborative operation where collaborative operation means robot and humans working concurrently within a defined workspace for production operation (this excludes robot + robot systems or co-located humans and robots which are operating at different times). Defining and deploying cobots is used to foresee potential collisions between physical portions of the robot (or virtual extensions such as laser) and the operators. This makes the use of sensors to determine the exact position and velocity of the operator more important. Cobot-makers must implement a high level of environmental sensing and redundancy into robot systems to quickly detect and prevent possible collisions. Integrated sensors connected to a control unit will sense an impending collision between a robot arm and a human or other object, and the control unit will turn the robot off immediately. If any sensor or its electronic circuit fails, the robot also turns off. Figure 2: Cobots working alongside humans in a factory environment. As cobots become more capable in demanding industrial environments, manufacturers will increasingly add them to the factory floor, particularly those manufacturers with strict return- on-investment objectives and a desire to improve product cycle times. Logistics Robots Logistics robots are mobile units that operate in environments where people might or might not be present, such as warehouses, distribution centers, ports, or campuses. Logistics robots fetch goods and bring them to a packing station, or transport goods from one building of a company site to another; some are capable of picking and packing goods as well. These robots typically move within a particular environment and need sensors for localization, mapping and to prevent collisions (especially with humans). Until recently, most logistics robots used pre-defined routes; they are now capable of adjusting their navigation based on the location of other robots, humans and packages. Ultrasonic, infrared and LIDAR sensing are all enabling technologies. Because of the robot's mobility, the control unit is located inside, often with wireless communication to a central remote control. Logistics robots are now adopting advanced technologies such as ML logic, human-machine collaboration and environmental analysis technologies. Rising labor costs and stringent government regulations are contributing to the higher adoption of logistics robots. Their popularity is also rising because of a decrease in the cost of equipment, components such as sensors, and the cost of (and time required) for integration. The global logistics robots market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of more than 28 percent from 2018 to 2022, according to market research by Technavio.