The Growth Of Robotics In A Post-COVID Era

Today, we are witnessing a bigger proliferation of robotics in every industry- healthcare, pharmaceutical, automobile, and more. In a post-COVID era, robotics alongside artificial intelligence is paving the way for ‘contact-less solutions that can help solve everyday problems. Robots have been used in hospitals and healthcare centers for cleaning/disinfecting premises, delivering food, medicines, and other supplies to infected patients. Robots are being used for a wide array of activities; to delight customers in the service industry, for logistics, in the manufacturing industry, and software robots for the finance industry. Manufacturers are utilizing robots to bring down production costs, increase efficiency, and enhance competitiveness in the marketplace. AI-infused technologies are helping organizations deal with COVID disruption, maintain social distancing imperatives, and provide growth opportunities. Traditionally, there has been a long-standing fear that automation and robotics will replace humans and their jobs but what has been found is that robotics is helping drive digital transformation by automating tasks, augmenting jobs, and creating new opportunities.

Robots have been extensively used in manufacturing industries for decades, primarily because of their ability to increase productivity with little to no errors. Robots run on databases that tell them to perform a specific task within a stipulated time frame. Post-COVID-19, manufacturers are expected to increase in-house manufacturing through automation rather than outsourcing production to other countries to mitigate global supply chain risks in the future. The market demand for advanced robotics in the manufacturing industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 46% and reach $3.7 billion by 2021. The global industrial robotics market size, including the prices of peripherals, software, and system engineering, is expected to grow from $44.6 billion in 2020 to $73 billion by 2025.

The robotics technology

Although robotic technology is relatively young, it’s helping humans to perform difficult tasks such as diving into the deepest parts of the oceans and exploring outer space to more menial tasks such as cleaning floors and sanitizing a space. The primary classification of robots is industrial robots, professional services robots, and software robots. Industrial robots like cartesian, SCARA, cylindrical, articulated, etc are mainly used in the manufacturing sector. Industrial robots are incredibly efficient in factory assembly lines, replacing humans to do repetitive tasks. Professional services robots are semi or fully automated robots that are deployed in retail, hospitality, healthcare, or warehouse work environments. These robots are used to automate non-factory tasks profitability. With the help of vision software, professional service robots are able to navigate a variable environment without human intervention. Some customer service and humanoid robots are designed to interact with customers thanks to complex Machine Learning programming. Tech companies are constantly trying to improve the quality and fluidity of these interactive robots with the advancement in innovative technologies like embedded vision, AI, and visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM). Software robots, or more commonly known as bots or RPA (Robotic Process Automation), are individual devices that run the automation solution. These bots can emulate human actions within a digital environment to automate business processes. They are used in functions such as HR, finance, procurement, etc. RPA bots allow organizations to automate processes at a fraction of the cost because it’s a non-intrusive technology that can easily be augmented into the existing infrastructure without disruption to rudimentary systems. 

Industries that are rapidly integrating robotics

Healthcare

The pandemic has pushed the scope of telemedicine and the use of robotics in healthcare. From automated sanitizers to automated guided vehicles (AGV), robots are acting as an intermediary between doctors and patients. They are being programmed to carry out diagnostic and treatment processes. Robotic instruments are also being used for practices such as surgery, rehabilitation, and therapy. Robotic devices like exoskeletons have the ability to aid patients with limited mobility and help their rehabilitation. 

Recycling

AMP robots are used to sift through massive amounts of recyclable materials and weed out thrash from them. Post-COVID there has been a significant increase in demand for robots to automate the recycling process and limit transmission from infected items to workers.

Retail industry

The retail industry is using automatic floor cleaning robots to disinfect stores and surfaces as well as integrate other robots to process deliveries. Also, large warehouses use navigational robots to categorize and sort parcels as well as keep track of inventory. Companies like Amazon use robots to keep up with its scale of operations and same-day delivery business model.

Agriculture

Robotic technology is enhancing productivity in the agriculture sector while lowering operational costs. Farming practices like pruning, thinning, mowing, spraying, and weed removal are increasingly being automated to reduce manual labor. Tractors and harvesters with self-guided GPS can help map the field without human intervention. Sensor technology is also being used for pest management as well as the identification and removal of rotten goods.

Defense and public safety

Robotic technology is revolutionizing the defense industry and improving public safety. Drones are a prime example of robots being used by militaries across the world. Remote-controlled and unmanned drones are being used to gather real-time information and monitor potentially dangerous situations. Robots are increasingly utilized for surveillance by defense agencies. 

Final Thoughts

Robots are shaping our future where all repetitive tasks are automated and humans are free to do more important tasks. Robots will eliminate labor that is redundant, taxing, potentially dangerous, and non-valued to create more efficient business functions. At Alkye, we help clients to augment technology in their business models such that it improves their productivity, profit margins, and competitiveness.