Robotics have had a profound effect on many industries and daily life. From security guards to chefs, customer service agents to one-man armies in battle – robotics technology has revolutionized many aspects of our lives.
Robotics technology is evolving at a breathtaking rate, thanks to advances in hardware, electronics and software. Explore how this emerging industry could impact your business operations as well as everyday life, and uncover its many applications.
Industrial Robots
Industrial robots are employed to automate complex production tasks in factories and manufacturing facilities. They help increase productivity and reduce labor costs by replacing repetitive, low-value tasks that cause physical strain, fatigue and injury to human workers.
Robots also help improve safety by eliminating tasks that could be hazardous, dirty or dull. Many manufacturing operations are adopting robot technology to reduce injury risks and ensure their products meet high-quality standards.
Industrial robot arms are composed of links and joints. These can either be prismatic (movement around a vertical axis) or rotary (rotation about the horizontal axis).
The end effector or end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) is responsible for manipulating product by moving, orienting and clamping or unclamping it. EOATs vary in type, size and application; many incorporate sensors to help the system locate and handle various types of items.
Medical Robots
Robotics in healthcare is a major focus for medtech companies, as they can improve patient outcomes and minimize medical errors. They may be utilized for drug delivery, wearable devices, rehabilitation tools or even new prostheses.
The market for medical robots is expected to experience steady growth in the future due to factors such as an increase in chronic diseases and an aging population.
Medical robots have many potential applications, but one area in particular holds great promise: minimally invasive surgery. With this technology, these procedures become less invasive and precise while decreasing infections.
Intuitive Surgical is currently the leader in this market, but it’s becoming increasingly competitive. Other medtech companies are investing more and more into R&D to gain an edge in the robotic surgical systems space.
Surgical robots offer surgeons greater precision, as they can stabilize the position of instruments during surgery so that they are less likely to move or come out of alignment. This frees up the surgeon’s hands, allowing them to focus on their patients and complete operations faster.
Robotics in Education
Robotics in education is an ever-expanding field that seeks to educate students of all ages. Teachers can utilize robots as teaching assistants, personal tutors and small group leaders to enhance their lessons while treating students without judgment.
Robots can also be employed to meet the educational needs of homeschooled students and those with special needs. By acting as virtual avatars, robots make learning more accessible for those unable to physically attend school due to disabilities or low income families.
Introductory programmable robots are an ideal choice for younger learners. They’re generally kid-friendly and enable students to experiment with inputs and outputs without needing prior coding knowledge.
Robotics in Public Spaces
When robots are introduced into public places, people need to have faith that they are secure and competent. This kind of trust should be similar to that which people have with professional service providers.
Governments should create laws and regulations for the safe use of public robotics in a similar fashion to how they set standards for traffic, construction materials or footpath widths. Doing so would not only promote productivity but also public safety (Boucher 2016).
Ideally, human-robot interactions will be beneficial to all parties involved. This is achievable when policymakers promote ongoing explorations into the spatial context of robot use, its advantages and potentials for co-creation.