The governments of developed countries such as Japan, Europe and the United States have spent money to implement strategic plans related to robots. In recent years, with the accelerated rise of economic development and the investment in research and development of robot-related industries, a global competition in the development of robotics technology has begun, especially in military applications, social production, medical care, services and other fields. .
Robotics is a fast-growing industry that is expected to be worth $568 billion by 2030. Robotics has applications in manufacturing, healthcare, retail, agriculture, defense, and more. A number of key factors, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), automation and complementing labor shortages, help unlock the full potential of today’s robotics.
artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence techniques, especially machine learning (ML), are integral to the development of smart industrial robots that can predict and adapt to certain situations based on the interpretation of data from sensor arrays. Certain AI technologies require further development, including computer vision, conversational platforms, and context-aware computing, to take industrial automation and industrial robotics to the next level. Neuromorphic processors (chips that mimic the structure of the human brain) will be an important part of the next generation of robots. They train using a basic library of relevant data, then teach them to think for themselves by processing sensory input. Ultimately, the chips will use their acquired skills to perform assigned tasks using association and probability.
edge computing. While much robotics can be done from the cloud, security and latency concerns mean that many robots must be able to process real-time data about their operating environment and respond immediately. Due to lower latency, edge computing has the potential to improve robot performance while improving security, as the edge is more secure than the cloud. When combined with robotics’ self-contained “sense-decision-act” firmware loop, edge computing will make cyberattacks more difficult.
cyber security. One of the main challenges to the widespread implementation of bots is the threat of cyber-attacks. Robots, especially those connected to the Internet, are extremely vulnerable to “hacking”. Leaving them unprotected can lead to unauthorized access to critical applications and systems, which in turn can lead to the loss, theft, destruction or improper use of sensitive information. “Hackers” can even take control of robots and disrupt robot functions to produce defective end products and cause production downtime. As a result, robot manufacturers are forced to focus on safety during the design and development phase and invest in effective safety solutions. The latest industrial cybersecurity management solutions address risks associated with industrial automation equipment, applications and factories. These solutions enable businesses to comply with industry-specific cybersecurity regulations, such as the North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP).
Industrial Internet. Industrial machines and processes have been monitored in real time for decades, and technologies such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) have been around since the 1970s. However, the Industrial Internet implies a higher degree of interconnection between systems and assumes that monitoring data will transcend factory boundaries and be consumed and managed by cloud-based services. While the factory of the future and Industry 4.0 are exciting, existing factories, machines and processes represent major opportunities for the Industrial Internet. The biggest short-term gains will come from retrofitting advanced communications and management functions for today’s industrial infrastructure.
Cloud Robot. Advances in artificial intelligence have boosted the development of robots, making them highly complex products rather than the stand-alone, fixed-function machines of the past. This in turn increases the number of roles the robot can perform. At the heart of this development is cloud computing, which allows for faster, more secure, and larger-scale management of sensing, computing, and memory. The leaders in cloud robotics combine infrastructure and AI capabilities, namely Amazon, Google, IBM and Microsoft. In addition to enabling artificial intelligence, the use of the cloud in robotics has the potential to change how technology is used.
Robotics Center of Excellence (CoE). The Robotics CoE is responsible for developing and implementing robotics solutions that are efficient, efficient and responsive to the needs of the industry. These solutions ensure companies achieve their automation goals. Simply put, a CoE collects, evaluates, and manages information that simplifies the deployment of robotics solutions.
Open Process Automation (OPA). Traditionally, robotic components such as controllers were only compatible with products made by the same company. For example, Siemens controllers can only be used with Siemens products, while ABB controllers can only be used with ABB products. Various organizations are now working to get rid of these constraints and build an open system that makes robotic components universally compatible. These efforts have led to the development of OPA, which allows technology vendors to collaborate with various organizations to produce standard, secure, and open architectures that can simplify robotic integration, resulting in vendor-neutral solutions. ExxonMobil initiated programs aimed at building a prototype that could be turned into a commercially viable OPA system. It can be achieved by developing a distributed, modular, and standards-based architecture for robotic components with scalable systems that can adapt to changes.
Lightweight design that achieves more with less effort. Robots in the 2020s will be smaller and lighter. This will make them more flexible, cost-effective and easy to deploy. The trend in lightweight design applies to the body and brain of robots. Several companies are investing in optimizing operating systems, software and programming. Academia is also developing solutions to some of the most complex problems, such as trajectory simplification, designed to allow robots to better navigate the environment.
Customizable robot. Although robots have become popular in different industries, designing and modeling robots is tedious, tedious, and expensive. Additionally, adapting smaller changes or modifications at a later stage can further extend the process. In response, manufacturers are trying to create customizable robot prototypes. For example, startup Elephant Robotics has developed a low-cost intelligent robotic arm with six degrees of freedom that can be adapted to a variety of scenarios and applications.
A soft self-healing robot. Soft robots are made of soft materials or polymers, rather than traditional metals. These materials give robots organic characteristics, replicating the way muscles work. Research is underway to make them self-healing, which would make them more flexible and adaptable. Self-healing robots are still in their infancy, but research is expected to continue to improve the technology.
2. Macroeconomic Trends
Every segment of the robotics market is expected to grow over the next decade. As robotics expands into more industrial and service sectors, one of the most important tasks facing policymakers will be to harness the economic benefits that robotics can bring while minimizing negative societal impacts.
China. China’s impact on the global economy and industry is clear. Despite the impact of the new crown epidemic, it is still the world’s largest automaker in 2020. More than 33% of global semiconductor production is consumed in China, as is 38% of the industrial robotics market. In addition, it is the world’s largest consumer of key raw materials such as copper, construction sand, lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements. According to the manufacturing strategy plan, China aims to keep pace with the United States, Japan and South Korea in strategic industries such as semiconductors, robotics, batteries, and replace it in artificial intelligence (AI). China has the world’s richest and most scalable algorithmic datasets for the R&D efforts of its AI companies, including Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, and iFlytek. In the field of robotics, China’s local robotics companies are still not as good as companies like Fanuc, however, Midea’s acquisition of Germany’s Kuka gave China control of a leading industrial robotics company.
Japan. Robots already dominate Japan’s factories, and its industrial robot makers — Fanuc, Kawasaki and Yaskawa — are world leaders. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), Japan has the third highest density of industrial robots in the world, after Singapore and South Korea. Robots are increasingly infiltrating Japan’s service sector, especially in caring for the elderly. The country showcased its robotics capabilities at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, delayed until 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Japan is also the world’s largest manufacturer of robot precision machinery parts. Japan’s leading robot parts manufacturers include Harmonic Drive, Keyence, Nabtesco, Nachi Fujikoshi), Omron and Nippon Ceramic.
Europe. The European Union (EU) appears to be waking up to the risks of technological lag. In 2021, reports emerged that the European Commission was working on a plan to rival China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Germany leads the rest of Europe in the production and adoption of robots. German factories have the highest robot density in Europe. KUKA is the only European player among the leading industrial robotics companies, headquartered in Bavaria, one of the wealthiest and most industrialized states in Germany. As a region, however, European robotics companies struggle to compete with Japanese and American companies. Europe is also at risk of being overtaken by China. In fact, KUKA has been owned by China Beauty since 2016. One factor that could spark a European robotics revolution is demographics. Like Japan and South Korea, Europe’s population is ageing, and some of the most promising robotics startups are emerging in the field of nursing robotics. One example is Kompaï Robotics, a French company that this year developed a versatile robot to help disadvantaged groups.
future career. Robotics are affecting jobs by transforming production lines and, in some cases, replacing humans. Robotic technologies such as collaborative robots and logistics robots are transforming factories into advanced engineering laboratories where assembly line processes and components are continuously analyzed, simplified and improved. The leaders of this future factory are industrial robot leaders FANUC (FANUC), KUKA Group (KUKA), Appleby Group (ABB) and Japan’s Yaskawa Electric (Yaskawa), with Cisco, Hitachi, Rockwell Technology providers such as Automation, Huawei and Japanese AI startup Preferred Networks have collaborated.
Unions, policymakers and social scientists are increasingly concerned that automation, of which robotics is a big part, will lead to increased unemployment. Each industrial robot can replace several human workers, so these concerns don’t appear to be groundless. In nursing homes in Japan, for example, robots have reduced the need for night-shift nurses, freeing some workers from non-social hours and addressing staffing shortages in the department. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), South Korea has the second highest density of robot workers in the world, after Singapore and ahead of Japan and Germany. South Korea also had the lowest fertility rate in the world in 2020, followed by Japan and Germany. Therefore, if automation poses risks to the workforce, robotics can also help address future labor shortages.
Industry diversification. Robotics remains disproportionately dependent on the automotive industry. According to IFR data released in 2020, 60% of industrial robots were deployed in automotive factories in 2019. However, other industries are also increasingly using robots. Robot orders from electronics, machinery, plastics, chemical products and food processing companies increased.
3. Regulatory Trends
Some industries are eagerly awaiting regulatory approval to gain a competitive advantage in robotics. Currently, regulatory constraints pose significant barriers to the adoption of robotics, and more precisely drones, in areas such as logistics, meteorology and environment, mining, oil and gas, and media and entertainment. Application rates are expected to increase steadily across industries as restrictions are eased.
drone. Regulatory challenges are one reason some drone use cases are difficult to take off. The most important case is Amazon’s drone delivery program. While the company hasn’t given up on plans to use drones to deliver orders to customers’ doorsteps, it has fallen behind UPS and Alphabet in gaining approval from U.S. regulators for test flights. In the UK, the company is reportedly scaling back its plans because it cannot make delivery drone equipment weighing less than 27kg, which UK regulators do not consider small drones. Global players face the challenge of navigating a very fragmented regulatory environment. Few countries have a laissez-faire attitude toward drones. Of these, only Turkey, Sweden and Argentina are important markets. Drones present specific regulatory challenges in robotics. Their low cost and ease of use make them attractive for criminal activities ranging from illegal surveillance to drug smuggling or terrorism. Drones are often used to smuggle contraband into prisons, and greater use by drug cartels and dissident groups will inevitably increase.
Regulatory situation in China. As robots become more and more driven by artificial intelligence (AI), the datasets needed to drive the AI engine become increasingly important. China has an advantage in generating these datasets because it has a richer trove of industrial data than any other country. In addition, its cybersecurity laws require all such data to be processed within its borders. China’s Data Security Law (DSL) has been in place for several years, but it will be implemented from September 2021. As a result, it will become more difficult to transfer data outside of China, and violations of this law will be subject to severe penalties.
ethics. The wider use of AI raises complex ethical issues, and its relevance will only increase as the technology’s impact in fields such as medicine, finance and law becomes more pervasive. As the AI industry matures, an important area of focus will be ensuring that human biases and biases are not passed on to AI systems through data, algorithms and interactions.
In addition, it is crucial to ensure that the economic benefits of AI are shared across society. AI is at the heart of robotics, and it brings up some of the ethical dilemmas that AI faces in other fields. Soft robotics, for example, will produce human-like machines that, when combined with artificial intelligence, could create robots that can feel pain or stress in the future. This will raise concerns about the rights and well-being of machines.
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