How Robotics Might Bring Big Change
From robots that make you boba tea to one that will defend a human in court, robotics has been making serious waves since 2020. Since the beginning of the pandemic, robotics have been employed to pick up the slack. From Amazon to hotels on Long Island, many companies jumped in on the action to ramp up production and help free up exhausted workers, which leaves us wondering what’s next for robotics and what we might see in the future.
Robotics Market Statistics
In 2020 the global robotics market was valued at $27.73 billion and is expected to reach $74.1 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 17.45 percent. From then until to now, robots have been utilized to curb COVID-19. With increased hygienic demands, cleaning and disinfection robot technologies opened an avenue for service robots. As a result, many manufacturers registered new disinfection robots as far back as 2020.
With workers wanting more freedom, the whiz robot vacuum cleaner can help free up an entire housekeeping shift at a hotel. Not only is the hospitality industry utilizing robots, but farmers and food supply companies also face growing demand. Following this ever-increasing interest, the worldwide growth of food and medication delivery robots began to be observed in 2021. This need would also drive the demand for robots supporting last-mile deliveries. The robotics industry is projected to hit $165 billion (at a minimum) by 2027.
Significant Strides Will Be Made in Robotics
The robotics industry didn’t just explode overnight. Robotics has been finding its way into surgeries and e-dogs for kids–there’s even a new automated EV refueling robot named Parky. As CES, by the Consumer Technology Association, has come to a close for 2023, we learned that will see significant strides in robotics. CES featured sessions such as Tech for Good: Driving Economic Inclusion and Climate Equity, meaning robotics could be the answer to many of the global challenges we face today. We’ve seen an uptick in cleaning robots, but we will also see a robotic advancement in healthcare, sports, education and military markets this year–especially agriculture
Mechanical Engineers are Turning Things Around
Alongside the global supply chain issues, we also face other problems like higher food bills. According to CNN, “Around 38% of the world’s total landmass is used for agriculture – yet hunger is worsening, and food security is in crisis, threatened by pressures including climate change, conflict and global recessions.” At the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne’s Computational Robot Design and Fabrication Lab, mechanical engineer Josie Hughes is working on harvesting raspberries with robots.
These robots feature a silicone gripper, so they won’t squish the fruit. They also can work 24 hours a day and gather data for farmers. While the technology is still very new, harvesting robots could help bridge the gap between harvesting and the inability to find workers.
Will robots be able to help us solve supply and demand problems? They might. With engineers working tirelessly to improve the employment shortage, you should see more robotic technologies emerging over the next five years.
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