Based on years of industry experience and the summary of various data, it is inferred that in the next few years, the pharmaceutical, service and agricultural industries may be in an important position in the use of collaborative robot technology, and the following ten trends are expected to change in the industrial robot automation industry.

1, the demand for smart sensors increases

Quality inspection is a key component in all industries, and analyzing everything from food to phone cases ensures that consumers can trust the goods they receive, and smart sensors enable manufacturers to handle this critical step in production more efficiently. Smart sensors are often a merger between different types of robots, and many quality assurance schemes consist of collaborative robotic arms equipped with vision sensors.

Artificial intelligence monitors data from sensors to quickly assess whether the final product is being manufactured correctly, and the level of accuracy that smart sensors can provide is expected to continue to be further applied to most automated factory floors.

2. Drug synthesis and transportation

Pharmaceutical companies are tasked with developing drugs, and drug synthesis requires not only great precision, but also many safety precautions, and some manufacturers are selecting special robots to help handle the chemical compounds used in drug production.

Using robots to dispense hazardous substances is not necessarily a new concept, however, the increased affordability, flexibility and safety of collaborative robots are attracting more drugmakers. Robots are also being used for drug dispensing and sample handling, and overworked medical laboratories are adopting industrial robot automation technology to improve efficiency. In addition, this reduces the risk of contact with body fluids, greatly reducing the probability of contamination of the sample.

3. Release and standardization of automated structures

For now, the vast majority of robotics companies will retain their design plans and specifications, and going forward, we expect to see the launch of automated structures begin to standardize, much like open source coding, which will allow engineers to rely on group research to adapt and refine their work.

This also opens the way for compatibility in the future, as more and more industries demand effective robotic solutions, so will designing a cohesive robotic workforce. Robotics companies will come up with a set of standard specifications so that consumers can confidently equip their factories with different types of robots from different manufacturers.

4, the popularity of cooperative robots in the service industry

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of small businesses in the service industry that rely on automated robots. For example, beverage mixing robots could help at coffee and smoothie shops, and grocery stores might use roving robots that can answer customers’ questions in-store. This kind of industrial robotic automation is a great way for businesses to solve staffing problems, and it also allows human workers to perform more personalized tasks, such as talking to customers at the beverage counter.

Cost has long been a barrier for small businesses looking to adopt robots, and we are already seeing more affordable robots in the robotics market and hope this trend will continue.

5. Higher demand for data analytics services

Most automated factory floors are constantly accumulating data, generated by every robot implemented, from smart sensors to collaborative robotic arms, and for manufacturers looking to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and improve profit margins, this information is invaluable, with a wealth of data waiting to be mined and evaluated. Which part introduces the most errors? What steps involve downtime? Can a process be handled more efficiently with a robotic hand than with a human hand? These questions can be answered through the data collected, but first the data needs to be analyzed in depth so that manufacturers can optimize their processes, and the demand for data analysis technologies and services is bound to increase.

6. Rely on robots to ensure consumer safety

We have already mentioned this benefit of ensuring worker safety through automation, but these benefits can extend beyond the factory to ensure consumer safety, a trend already seen in the transportation industry and especially in the aviation industry. For example, Air Cobot is used to help verify the safety of aircraft before they fly.

Working in conjunction with human inspectors, the robot relies on an array of vision sensors, bumpers, scanners, and GPS to scrutinize the underside of the aircraft before takeoff, and the level of accuracy that collaborative robots can provide speeds up processing without sacrificing safety.

7. Switch to virtual engineering solutions

The development of industry is labor intensive, the work is not only in planning and design, but also in building and testing, and more and more companies are transferring their engineering methods to engineering to improve cost effectiveness and collaboration.

We can see an increase in reliance on virtual engineering techniques, such as 3D mapping, which allows developers to work together and perform rough tests on their designs, which reduces the physical construction and testing stress of robots, thus reducing the money and time spent on engineering prototypes.