From cuddly seals to AVs, robotics are poised for growth

 

The market for a wide variety of robotics is expected to see 20% annual growth through 2025, according to one analyst forecast, after experiencing jitters and even a slowdown in industrial robot deployments during last year’s pandemic.

Analysts at Mordor Intelligence recently pegged the global market at nearly $24 billion in 2020, to grow to $74 billion by 2026.

 However, the market is going through “significant transformation,” according to a Mordor study, moving from more traditional industrial robots to personal assistants, surgical assistants, delivery vehicles, autonomous vehicles, exoskeletons and unmanned aerial vehicles, among others.

Industrial robots see long-term strength

Another analyst firm, Future Market Insights, found that demand for industrial robots declined in 2020, but is expected to improve.  “Investment in industrial robots was looking up before the COVID-19 crisis,” said Nikhil Kaitwade, senior research manager at the firm. “Although a sudden deceleration occurred in 2020, the long-term prospects of the market remain strong.”

Industrial robots are already widely used in Asian factories. China is expected to dominate in the region due to “massive deployment” in electronics and auto manufacturing, Mordor said.   China is the world’s largest robotics market and will soon be home to a new robotics manufacturing and research facility built near Shanghai by Swiss technology company ABB.

The rise of e-commerce during the pandemic led to increased orders of manufactured goods which has created additional requirements for industrial robots in warehouse management, Kaitwade added.

By 2023, the Indian Army even plans to deploy robotic soldiers built at a factory in New Delhi, according to Mordor.

Last year, Yaskawa Motoman launched a collaborative robot, suited for working safely close to humans. The HC20XP is made of cast aluminum for sanitary factories.

Yaskawa robot

DENSO Robotics also showcased robots for manufacturing, including an LPH series and the VM-VL series, large assembly robots for industrial applications.

KUKA AG also signed an agreement with BMW AG in 2020 to supply 5,000 robots for BMW AG auto production lines and factories globally.

DENSO, Yaskawa, ABB and KUKA are considered key players in industrial robots alongside Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Brenton, Krones AG, Mitsubishi Electric, and Fanuc.

Service robots

Aging populations in Asia-Pacific are driving growth for service robots as well.  One example is PARO, a therapeutic robot developed by AIST, a Japanese industrial automation company.  The cuddly seal robot is designed to help treat diseases like Alzheimer’s by stimulating interactions.

Now in its eighth generation, PARO was first introduced in Europe and Japan in 2003.  It includes five sensors: tactile, light, sound, temperature and posture.

U.S. robotics work

While China dominates in robotics, recent initiatives by major carmakers Ford and GM show robotics interest is perking up in the U.S.

Ford and University of Michigan just opened a $75 million robotics building on the campus that will house up to 100 Ford roboticists and mobility researchers working a floor above student classrooms and labs.

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And at a virtual CES in January, GM tantalized audiences with a glimpse of a one-seater flying car concept alongside its vision for electric and autonomous vehicles.  A new BrightDrop business devoted to electrification of logistics showed off an electric EP1 pallet and the EV600 electric light commercial vehicle to be used by FedEx Express for deliveries.

electric pallet
BrightDrop's EP1 electric pallet

RELATED: GM wows CES 2021 with flying car concept, Ultium battery system and BrightDrop for logistics

Automakers such as Ford have expressed interest in using robotics to enhance vehicle features, an indication that the line is already blurred between mobility and robotics.

Last year, chipmaker Nvidia and Mercedes-Benz announced AI tech for cars coming in 2024 to provide autonomous or safety features. Separately, Nvidia joined forces with BMW to create faster and smarter logistics robots using AI.

RELATED: Nvidia and Mercedes-Benz announce AI tech for cars coming in 2024

AI in modern manufacturing will be used to help robots learn from mistakes and automatically compensate for errors as they work, analysts.

Clearly, the array of robotics devices and machines goes far beyond manufacturing. They include many imaginative concepts like Samsung’s bot chef for making salads on command to robots that are deployed for cleaning and disinfection with UV light.