There has been a massive surge in robots in different fields in the past decade, which will continue in the coming years. From doing regular work to seamlessly handling dangerous tasks, robots have made a mark in every possible industry there is around the globe. Did you know that an estimated 1.4 million robots do various tasks around the world as of now? And close to a million robotic devices are being used for less energy-intensive household jobs around the globe.
These figures were obtained from 10% of industries throughout the globe incorporating robots into their businesses. Soon, we will see robots doing jobs with less or no human intervention in several fields. Robotic technology has been a blessing to many industries that depend majorly on resources that have changed with endurance, accuracy and consistency with time. Now, there is no looking back on things as robots can do all kinds of repetitive tasks without any difference in quality and quantity. This article will learn how robotics has changed the dynamics of functioning across various industries and the remarkable transformation they provide us shortly.
Contents present in the article
A brief introduction to robotics
Uses of Robots in different industries
Healthcare
Agriculture
Food Industry
Manufacturing
Factory Floors
Mining
Education
Military
Space
Household
How Robots Are Transforming Industries
Future Of Industries With Robots
Conclusion
A brief introduction to robotics
Robotic technology is widely used in many industries these days. Combining science, engineering, and software technology have resulted in Robotics. It has helped in creating great machines that can achieve tasks with accuracy, efficiency and precision. Robots have been known for many years now but let's look at how they are changing equations on the performance level for various industries.
Uses of Robots in different Industries
Robotics is widely used across various sectors to enhance functionality, improve efficiency and add value to productivity. Below are the various industries where robots have been doing a transformational job to help businesses reach greater heights.
Healthcare
The healthcare industry, by far, has been one of the top industries to use robotics technology. Doctors and robots work together to reach new heights and help save countless numbers of lives. But using these accurate machines has taken several treatment processes to greater heights. From the Da Vinci Robot to microscopic bots, a.k.a microbots that perform surgeries inside a human body to unclog arteries, clear blood vessels, etc., robots have proved highly impactful. Robots have been trained to do other tasks like cleaning rooms, changing linen, moving things across, keeping track of inventory, arranging medicines, and even updating patient health records in real-time. What’s more ground-breaking is we also have social robots that assist patients dealing with trauma by empathising and boosting their spirits.
Agriculture
Robots have increased productivity in farmlands while reducing their overall costs. The agricultural sector has been seeing quite a bit of improvement thanks to the advancements brought by robotic technology. Farmers are trying to adopt techniques that can save on their manual hard work. Even in 2021, the agriculture sector involves human intervention in manual labour to do most tasks. Robots right now are acting like tractors that can follow a human-made path, and harvesters that are self-guided and built with GPS are put to use in farms. Successful experiments have been done on robots that can accurately do jobs like weed removal, fertiliser spraying, pruning, mowing and thinning. Manufacturing units are now concentrating on sensor machines that can detect pests and diseases that damage the crop.
Food industry
The most extravagant developments in robotics are witnessed in kitchens across the world. Evidently, the food industry has developed a deep interest in incorporating robots to enhance manual processes. Flippy, the world’s first AI-powered robotic kitchen, shares tasks with chefs in restaurant kitchens. Similarly, we have barista robots delighting customers in making lattes with the utmost precision. The robotic industry has created sensors that identify flesh and bone, helping robots separate bones from a chicken without any hassle of bones chipping inside. There are restaurants where robots take orders, serve food and cook in kitchens. Apart from the fun of having robots around, using them has shown visible results in redefining the customer experiences in addition to the help they offer the chefs in their kitchens.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing now stands as one of the biggest sectors to incorporate robotic technology. As early as 1961, robots were incorporated to do monotonous jobs with precision. But now, they are doing many things apart from that. Manufacturing is the biggest industry that has more association with robots that work alongside engineers and experts. In some cases, they require human control to perform tasks, and in other cases, they do it autonomously. More than speed, quality is the defining factor of efficient robots. From sensors and cameras to automatic environment adjustments, they can do jobs like welding, handling, painting, tending, packing, palletising, grinding, cutting, polishing, deburring, spraying, sealing, glueing, and many other processes with perfection, quality and zero errors.
Factory floors
As discussed above, robots have taken the manufacturing industry to unimaginable heights. The already established robotic impression in the automotive industry has shown how complexities are broken down into simple operations. Manufacturing cars and performing repairs on them are no longer difficult tasks. The right design model is updated into assigned robots. The robots check the design and repair the given car according to the model or rivet a Boeing plane as per the requirement. Many factory floors are monitored continuously by robots. Some robots are working with humans in warehouse operations. Recently, a robot made by Universal Robotics is helping a worker just like any colleague. Human judgement is still considered a crucial part of the functioning of the industry, while the mechanical operations that require endurance, accuracy and perfection are left to bots. The robots also operate several danger zones with flexibility and ease, with the help of temperature sensors. Floor jobs are not so tiring now, and floor managers are not required to toil like the old times.
Mining
Mining, a highly human-dependant industry, has now grown reliant on advanced robotics and technology. The robots used in the mining industries are installed with sensors that can give accurate updates about the interior of the mines. This compilation and reconnaissance provide workers to be in a safe environment throughout the process. Some organisations have implemented robots to mine under uncertain conditions and dangerous terrains. In addition to that, equipment on digging has developed greatly from past decades. Robots have also taken a stronger place in drilling deep underground and offshore, allowing the mining businesses to do more in less time.
Education
Humanoid robots are seen in classrooms teaching students and conducting workshops to give seminars that have taken telelearning to another level. The Intelligence centre of South Korea has developed a robot called Engkey. This robot teaches elementary school students about the pronunciation of words and their meaning in engaging ways. It comes at an affordable price. There are personable robots that can monitor a session while a human teacher takes the class. They also help in facilitating examination centres.
Military
The use of robots in military and defence operations has progressed widely worldwide for many years now. Robots that are used in the military can multitask on duties with ease and feasibility. This introduction of robotics in the military has given more advantages to the defence systems. The robots perform multiple combat roles like rescue tasks, fire support, explosive disarmament, reconnaissance, lethal duties and logistics support. Some robots work with other soldiers to help them handle borders patrolling and targeting enemies with precision. They can work as a backup in situations like massive artillery fire, reducing the number of casualties. Aerospace drones of all sizes are also used in military duties for detecting threats from all sides.
Space
Some specially designed space robots are used for space exploration, operation, astronomical assessment, etc. Robots in space can work on uneven and unstructured terrains achieved through locomotive concepts. Few robots maintain the infrastructure while others examine the efficiency of completed tasks. Mission planning and autonomous navigation are based on artificial intelligent methods. With the incorporation of suitable sensors, they can evaluate an image clicked, recognise an obstacle and model a terrain for better mobility. They can also carry out various experiments in real-time to ensure better real-time results.
Household
Most of us are aware that robots are already taking care of many household chores. The best example of that is Roomba, a world-famous device that cleans houses. Some robots can clean a gutter and a pool. Robots can do almost all kinds of domestic household according to their programs. From chopping vegetables to watering plants, folding laundry, and arranging things, robots have made household work easier for people, especially for older people and ill people. These robots come in various sizes and shapes to suit the given tasks. Few personal robots can take care of elderly persons when their families are not around, like taking them for a walk, reminding them to take their pills and arranging their meals. The robots can feed them food, dress them and even lift them if required. How peaceful is it to have such help around when you have to leave for office but don’t like the idea of your elderly parents feeling lonely? Robotics has become so much more social than we imagined.
How Robots Are Transforming Industries
With the phenomenal work done by these precise machines in every possible industry, we now know what to expect. We have notable points to remember to aid our decision to incorporate these systems into our businesses. The productivity has increased mainly in the manufacturing units across the planet after incorporating robots into their functioning. Healthcare has seen better medical provision with accuracy in surgeries. Agriculture is slowly taking steps towards a revolutionary change. Chefs can work on creating great recipes leaving behind the repetitive jobs to the robots. Mining has got access to impossible human levels. Education has taken a new shape. Rovers are doing a satisfactory job in space, and households are getting much-needed help. The defence field has got its best colleagues. This transformation is not an exaggeration but a remarkable reality.
Future Of Industries With Robots
We have different robots making a broad list of jobs serving diverse industries meeting their requirements. There are situations where robots can work with human intervention, and in some cases, the robots can do the impossible. But, the future seems an exciting one. With a variety of algorithms being developed and enriching artificial intelligence, very soon, we are going to see robots doing tedious and mundane tasks without any hassle. Now your robot needs no command to keep the coffee cup in the sink; as soon as it sees you’re done, it goes for the following process of action. The future of industries with robots will be more beneficial, as the standards, sensors, and robots have constantly been changing to cater to every customisation across sectors. Thus, it transforms every business function seamless.
Conclusion
Over the years, with countless uses of robots in different industries, businesses have seen transformational results. It reflects how humankind is always on the brink of finding the next best invention to aid human livelihoods across the globe. Universal Robots has been in this industry to help small, huge businesses get their share of success with easy implementation of robotics into their systems. With robots of all sizes and shapes, achieving customisation to derive the targeted results is easier than ever. Sooner or later, we will have robots moving around, doing tasks just like humans do in as many fields as possible. Besides being much-needed help, robots prove to be a quintessential part of organisations and their varied spectrum of operations.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the three advantages of robots in the industry?
Safety, Consistency and Speed.
- What are the five major fields of robotics?
Operator Interface, Locomotion, Programming, Effectors and Manipulator, Perception and Sensing.
