Six major trends in industrial robots

In recent years, external factors ranging from the COVID-19 epidemic to geopolitical tensions and supply chain issues have had a huge impact on the industrial robotics field. At the same time, internal factors such as advances in technology and usability also have an impact on the development and adoption of industrial robots.

Whether one is new to industrial automation or a veteran with decades of experience, there is a wealth of information to sift through, making identifying the most impactful trends a real challenge.

So, as 2022 comes to an end, what industrial robotics trends are industry experts focusing on?

1. Workforce and Demographics

Epson Robotics Products Manager Scott Marsic said labor shortages are a major trend driving the adoption of industrial automation.

Kary Zate, senior director of marketing communications at warehouse automation specialist Locus Robotics, said, "Labor shortage is a global problem. The U.S. manufacturing industry is doing well, but there are more jobs than jobs. This creates a Problem. Due to labor shortages and an aging population, the younger generation is not interested in working in a warehouse environment because, frankly, it is a hard job that requires employees to walk 10 to 15 kilometers a day in a warehousing environment. It is very tiring People."

Zate explained that as finding and retaining talent becomes a major challenge across industries, more and more companies are turning to industrial automation to fill labor gaps, increase productivity, and improve productivity with Remain competitive in a challenging macroeconomic environment.

2. Digital drive

Lian Jye Su, research director of market analysis agency ABI Research, said that the new crown epidemic has accelerated the adoption of automation and digital transformation in the entire industrial sector.

Su said, “This trend includes remote monitoring software and software that can or otherwise promote the adoption of industrial automation.” He cited READYRobotics’ robot operating system and RoboDK’s offline programming software as examples.

He said, “There is no faster way to automate than using these types of software, especially when deploying multiple robot brands. The traditional approach is to hire engineers to commission robotic solutions, which can require Weeks or even months, that means many of these manufacturers missed the opportunity."

Epson's Marsic said you'll find a variety of digital tools at any industry show, from artificial intelligence and augmented reality to digital twins for manufacturing applications.

He said, “This is an exciting time in the field of robotics and digitization, and these technologies are helping to attract new talents to work in robot programming. For programmers, there are opportunities to work with artificial intelligence and It’s very cool to collaborate with augmented reality and deploy their code on industrial robots.”

3. The continued rise of collaborative robots and mobile robots

ABI Research’s Su said, Collaborative robots remain the fastest growing segment of the industrial robotics sector.

He said, “In recent years, there has been a lot of positive feedback about how easy collaborative robots are to deploy, and over time, collaborative robots have found their niche in the industrial robotics field and it has proven to be a A product that can complement human labor and traditional industrial robots. I don’t see growth slowing down anytime soon.”

According to data from ABI Research, the global collaborative robot market was valued at $475 million in 2020. It will expand to US$600 million in 2021 and is expected to reach US$8 billion by 2030, with an expected compound growth rate of 32.5%.

At the same time, the popularity of mobile robots is also growing rapidly. "Ten years ago, mobile robots were a luxury item," Su said. "Now, they can be found in nearly every industry sector and location, from deep-sea oil rigs to manufacturing and warehouse facilities."

Data from ABI Research shows that global robotics venture capital (VC) will reach US$5.7 billion in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 38%, and autonomous mobile robots have brought huge interest.

4. Reshoring plan

Overseas labor costs are rising rapidly, and at the same time, automation costs are falling significantly. Epson's Masic said these are just two of the factors driving companies from the U.S. and other major economies to reshor.

He said, "Today, there are additional issues to contend with, from intellectual property and tariffs to geopolitics to supply chain challenges. Companies need to quickly resume manufacturing, and the best way to achieve this is The answer is automation, especially during a labor crisis."

By shortening supply chains, this reshoring can also reduce carbon emissions, generate environmental benefits and help make manufacturing more sustainable.

5. Lowering Barriers

The increasing ease of use of industrial robotic systems makes it easier than ever for businesses of all sizes and technology levels to deploy automation.

Epson’s Masic said: “The pursuit of simplicity is a very important trend, and people want to quickly launch automation systems. This requires an operating system that is easy to use and provides extensive customer support throughout the automation process. New customers and new users in the field are driving the need for simplicity. We were seeing this trend before COVID-19, but since 2020, this trend has really disappeared."

LocusRobotics’ Zate said the “robots-as-a-service” model is growing in popularity, making it easier to apply automation with less capital investment and allowing operators to seamlessly scale to meet their needs in minutes. Changing yields and seasonal peaks that often take weeks or months to complete.

6. Focus on sustainability

Masic said robot manufacturers and their customers are increasingly paying attention to sustainability and climate issues.

He said, "Sustainability and environmental responsibility are long-standing core values ​​of Epson's corporate organization. For example, by sourcing materials as far from the ground as possible, by exploring the entire life cycle of our products and discovering which parts can be repeated Zate said that from the beginning, Locus Robotics developed its business model based on sustainability principles, including a wide range of refurbished parts.

He said, “We like to say ‘robots never die’. We have always valued sustainability, it’s part of our DNA. Today, sustainable manufacturing has a strong presence in the robotics industry and among our customers. have received widespread attention.”

RaaS is a key component of LocusRobotics’ sustainability mission. Zate added: “Because our robots can be refurbished, we can bring them back and repair them, upgrade them with new hardware and new software. This means our customers have the latest and greatest automation equipment at all times.”

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