mouser.com/te 41
political effects of "democratizing" robotics and
automation (as well as 3D printing) are significant.
These efforts make automated manufacturing
more financially and technologically accessible
through better software and machine learning tools.
In addition, outsourcing manufacturing to larger
outfits or other countries may not be as compelling
a financial motivation as it once was.
According to a 2023 report by the International
Federation of Robotics (IFR), the number of annual
installations of industrial robots is expected to jump
from 400,000 in 2017 to over 700,000 by 2026.
1
Although the automotive industry is still the largest
single investor in automation worldwide, cobots are
also being implemented in machinery shops, metals
and plastics, electronic assembly, and even food-
processing facilities.
Cobots are not limited to industrial or
manufacturing settings; they are being adopted
across various industries. Healthcare, agriculture,
transportation, logistics, and hospitality invest
heavily in service cobots and semi-automation. The
hospitality industry, in particular, is experiencing
significant growth. Service robots are now checking
guests into hotels and delivering luggage to rooms.
According to the IFR report, sales of service robots
in the hospitality sector increased by 125 percent
between 2021 and 2022. These advancements are
driving the proliferation of cobot technology across
different sectors.
Conclusion
In the past, the entry point for small and mid-size
businesses into automating manufacturing and service
sector jobs has been inaccessible, mostly for financial
reasons. The advent of collaborative robots and
Industry 4.0 and 5.0 are changing that by reducing
the initial capital investment in automation while
simultaneously making it more user-friendly and easier
to integrate into existing processes seamlessly. This
makes automation more accessible than ever at a time
when worldwide labor shortages force businesses to
look for creative staffing solutions.
Although people may continue to associate
automation with manufacturing and assembly lines,
the most significant near-term growth area for
robotics may be in the commercial and domestic
service sectors. Healthcare facilities and large public
places like parks or shopping malls implement service
robots to help clean and disinfect areas and surfaces.
It isn't hard to imagine similarly designed robots for
the residential sector—machines that can vacuum,
dust, wash windows, mop floors, or maybe even
prepare simple meals or do laundry like the whimsical
robots featured in childhood cartoons. They might be
in your kitchen or garage sooner than you think.
1
https://ifr.org/img/worldrobotics/2023_WR_extended_version.pdf
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