Did you know there were 12 million robotic units sold worldwide in 2020? The robotics industry isn’t new, but recently there have been some big strides. With huge societal changes that have occurred over the last two years, investing in robotics has never been more timely. If you’re an automation engineer, you’ll want to know how things are evolving in this ever-growing industry.
Keeping up with these trends will help you discover how you can develop as an engineer. You can learn the ins and outs of the robotics industry and how you can stay in the game.
It’s time you learn about upcoming changes in the industry! Continue reading to learn of some of the biggest trends you can expect to happen with robotics in 2022.
More Growth
Robotics has always been an ever-growing industry, but in more recent years, the need has never been more urgent. In 2020, the industry was worth about 27 billion dollars and was slowly growing. Now, however, researchers say that number will rapidly grow to be worth about 74 billion dollars by the year 2026.
In 2020, distribution centers took a big hit. Unexpected product and labor shortages, plus the strain on supply systems, created the need for a more efficient landscape. Because of this, manufacturers have taken a deeper look at the robotics industry.
Companies are now figuring out how they can implement more automation into the workplace. Smart manufacturers, for example, have capitalized on these new trends. They are now able to create more efficiency in their factories. This helps them keep their costs low and get their products out to their customers faster.
Robotics is also extremely versatile. Besides distribution centers and factories, robotics is also being implemented in other sectors. Logistics, e-commerce, and healthcare, for example, are becoming the center for consumerism robotics.
The ability to hit multiple sectors and increase efficiency has more companies interested in robotics. One major trend for 2022 is that the automation and robotics industry will continue to grow massively.
Telepresence Robots
One major trend you can expect to see next year is the rise in telepresence robots. After a year of stay-at-home orders, lots of employees are choosing to work from home instead of commuting to their offices. Because of this, many businesses have had to change their models to offer more remote work and fewer in-person work hours.
This new system works well for a lot of businesses, however, there is still the need for in-person representation. If you’re a full-time or part-time remote worker, telepresence robots are changing office culture. This will make working remotely work even better.
Telepresence robots are machines that move and have audio and video capabilities. The main attraction with telepresence robots is the ability to work the robot remotely, from anywhere. This can give someone full control and be in two places at once.
Telepresence robots can benefit the business sector. It will allow employees to be more present from anywhere around the world. For example, in real estate, agents and property managers can tour listings in a multitude of different places.
Looking even further into the future, buyers could even use this technology. Consumers using robots isn’t that far-fetched!
These robots can also make major strides in the healthcare sector. With telepresence robots, doctors will be able to “see” more patients. They can touch base with patients who are unable to make it to the hospital due to certain ailments or time constraints.
For an automation engineer, maintenance skills will be sought-after. These skills will help prevent breakdowns and malfunctions. Innovation in this field will also be crucial. Engineers should look at how they can build more of these robots at a lower cost so more industries can purchase and use them.
Environmental Impacts
Recycling robots will make major impacts and benefit the environment in a big way in the coming years. Many companies have already made decisions to be more environmentally conscious. They use less harmful materials and donate proceeds towards climate change research and prevention efforts.
Many e-commerce businesses are also using recyclable materials to make their products. Because of this, there is a bigger need for sorting through trash and recycling to gather these re-usable materials. Recycling robots are an innovative, efficient, and low-cost way to do this.
Recycling robots be able to sort through over 67 million tons of waste in America. They will also help strengthen existing infrastructures and help to develop new infrastructures. Most importantly, they can help to improve the environment.
Once these robots become commonplace, automation engineers will begin innovating in this field. There are many possibilities in the environmental sector for robots. These robots can make a difference in preventing climate change and putting new eco-friendly practices in place.
Cobots
Collaborative bots will also become more of a trend in 2022 and beyond. Cobots are one of the more popular developments in robotics and are made to work alongside human employees.
The collaboration of bots and humans is said to be very cost-effective, especially when it comes to manufacturing. Cobots are designed to detect any changes in their work environment. With their powerful software and sensor technology, they can detect any unsafe working conditions. These unsafe conditions could potentially cause harm to human employees or other machinery.
For example, once a human comes within a particular distance of a cobot, the machine stops. In this case, the robot only pauses until the human moves to a safe distance away from the large machinery. Combining humans and robot workers helps prevent complete equipment shutdowns and emergency situations.
With the increase in cobots in more factories, engineers will need to think of other ways in which collaborative bots and humans can work alongside each other safely and effectively.
Delivery Robots
Delivery robots have been all over the internet as more and more companies are beginning to use them. Machine learning technology plays a big role in this trend and will only continue to get smarter as more people use them. The vast majority of these robots are fully autonomous.
These delivery robots are able to detect something unusual in their path. When this happens, human responders are able to communicate with the robot and step in if necessary. These robots are able to fully drive themselves, reach their destinations, and deliver the product to the consumer.
These robots have been used for food deliveries, medicine deliveries, and more. Powerful sensors are able to detect barriers including curbs, cars, and humans. Most delivery robots use sidewalks for transportation to avoid any potential collisions.
Besides convenience, these robots will be able to deliver in extreme weather conditions including snow, heavy rain, and ice. This will help get essential items delivered to those in need while also protecting the safety of human delivery drivers. While it may seem that these robots are taking over the jobs of human delivery drivers, these drivers can transition into the backend positions to monitor the robots and make sure they get to their appropriate destinations.
Automation engineers can really take advantage of this new wave of robots by investing their skills in machine learning and AI. The software programs will constantly need updating and maintenance to ensure all road maps are accurate.
More Creativity
With the increase of everyday robots for both commercial businesses and consumers, there is plenty of room for innovation. Creativity in the robotics field will be a huge trend in 2022.
Now that robots are more commonplace, engineers can discover many new ways that this technology can make improvements. Robots don’t need to compromise real-life jobs. Automation engineers can think about how robots can increase jobs by creating new landscapes for robotics to thrive.
Driven by machine learning and software, the robotics industry is a great place for engineers to get in on the ground floor. Engineers can learn more programming skills, and run with creative ideas.
Automation Engineer Jobs
As an automation engineer, you have the ability to take innovation to the next level when it comes to the robotics industry. With so much space to create and build, it’s crucial to continue your own development so you don’t get left behind.
Robots are here to stay and will only get bigger as time goes on. Engineers should learn how to work with machine learning software. You should also work with Artificial Intelligence, and robotic machinery in order to flourish in this industry.
If you’re looking for more information on engineering, robotics, automation, and more, register for our website today!