The previous few years have seen many organisations implement tech-driven adjustments at a speedy tempo. As society embraces and adopts digital expertise, the efficient administration of latest processes turns into key to the success of virtually each enterprise.
The speedy office transformation evident throughout industries, whether or not that’s shifting to hybrid working or adopting new applied sciences, prompts us to ask: what can we count on from 2023? Anders Beck, Vice President of Technique and Innovation at Common Robots, discusses 5 predictions for the approaching yr.
1. Turnkey options
Lately, now we have witnessed the event of many various kinds of subtle applied sciences. Advances in robotics, machine studying and different applied sciences have elevated the tempo of this alteration tenfold. Whereas these promise to revolutionise the enterprise world, all expertise corporations face the identical problem — they’ll’t be good at all the things.
On the planet of robotics, that is no totally different. Making a robotic system requires {hardware} growth, software program growth, software growth, sensors and interfaces — to call a couple of. That’s why 2023 would be the yr of turnkey options. Unique tools producers (OEMs) — corporations creating new functions and merchandise round present applied sciences — will lie on the coronary heart of this. They’ll drive innovation by combining applied sciences to ship full options for the commonest functions, corresponding to welding and palletising.
The end result? Automation will develop into extra subtle but simpler to make use of than ever earlier than. Enabled Robotics, an OEM based mostly in Denmark, is a superb instance of how this works. Since 2016 the corporate has been working to mix two varieties of cutting-edge expertise by mounting cobots onto autonomous cellular robots (AMRs). This hybrid expertise is now working in business, warehouse administration and manufacturing and bringing robotics to service functions and hospital intralogistics.
In the end, these out-of-the-box options make it simpler for corporations to combine essential applied sciences and there’s no restrict to the imaginative methods corporations will carry robots alongside people on the planet of labor.
2. Modular manufacturing
Conventional industrial robots stay necessary in some elements of producing, however we’re seeing a development in direction of the deployment of extra versatile fashions of manufacturing. That is largely because of the truth that conventional industrial robots are usually massive and glued and entail complicated deployment.
In distinction, cobots can carry out the same vary of actions to conventional industrial robots however are smaller, lighter and far simpler to deploy. They’re designed to work alongside people so pose much less danger to security and are higher suited to environments that require flexibility and adaptableness. As well as, they current an economical answer for companies trying to deploy automation — a key consideration as we transfer into 2023.
The cobot business is projected to develop to US$2.2 billion by 2026 (‘The Collaborative Robotic Market 2022’ report, Work together Evaluation). Cobots will proceed to vary the way in which work is completed in functions corresponding to packing, palletising, welding and meeting, and this yr we are going to see even bigger corporations turning to light-weight cobots to extend modularity of their manufacturing. Robotic weight and flexibility will probably be key specs for these in search of out new automation options and we are going to see extra reconfigurable robotic work cells than ever earlier than.
3. Increased payload and longer attain cobots
Whereas extra corporations will transfer in direction of cobot automation, many would require bots that may deal with heavy payloads. The excellent news is that now we have lately seen the introduction of a number of larger payload, longer attain cobots. In 2023 these will proceed to rework elements of the manufacturing business, bettering the working lives of many workers.
Final yr, Common Robots offered a brand new cobot, UR20, which is constructed for larger payloads and quicker speeds and delivers good movement management — all inside a light-weight, small footprint system. The 20 kg payload capability can rework industries by enhancing actions corresponding to palletising. Producers searching for further flexibility will discover the robotic gentle sufficient to be unbolted and relocated or connected to a heavy base with wheels. This can create new potentialities for varied functions and can drive innovation throughout the board. The UR20 will probably be obtainable in 2023.
4. Improve in industrial robotic installations regardless of world uncertainties
The current IFR World Robotics Report confirmed that industrial robotic set up reached an all-time excessive in 2021, rising by 31% over the earlier yr. General, worldwide annual robotic installations between 2015 and 2021 have greater than doubled. Though progress in 2022 appears to be slower throughout the sector, that is largely because of world uncertainties triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the shortage of digital elements.
We count on the upward development of cobot automation to renew in 2023. Why? As a result of companies the world over are dealing with labour and abilities shortages and, regardless of the day-to-day challenges dealing with business proper now, we’re within the midst of a transition in direction of Trade 5.0. Right here, working alongside robots will create extra human-centric, sustainable and resilient companies.
5. Prospects on the coronary heart of product growth
Though we speak extensively about robotic collaboration within the office, human collaboration is what drives innovation.
Prospects perceive their very own wants higher than anybody else and, because the automation market has matured, they’re higher positioned than ever earlier than to supply useful enter on their necessities. This implies robotics corporations will contain end-customers way more in product growth. It’s why Common Robots has reorganised its product creation groups and is focusing closely on understanding the challenges clients are dealing with, earlier than designing options.
Co-development initiatives, the place robotics corporations and clients work collectively in growing particular options, are additionally certain to extend in 2023 and past. In the end these permit clients to immediately affect the product they’re shopping for, whereas on the similar time delivering useful suggestions for the robotic corporations — which means they may be capable of launch a product to the advantage of the entire market.
The way forward for cobots
Companies have to innovate constantly and stay adaptable to outlive and increase. As we head into 2023, they may rely ever extra on expertise and innovation to interrupt new floor, with turnkey options on the coronary heart of it. This makes for an thrilling time for automation.
