TechNavio analysts recently surveyed a number of different companies in the mobile robotics industry to understand the current and future market for mobile robotics, in preparation for the AMSE’s Advanced Design & Manufacturing Impact Forum.
I sat down with Faisal Ghaus, Vice President of TechNavio for a little Q&A to discuss some of the key survey findings:
What new age features could define the growth of the mobile robotics market?
“30 percent of survey respondents feel that safety will still be front and center when designing new features. The aim for most companies, I’m sure, is to make sure their products are safe to use for their customers.”
“In addition, 23 percent of respondents feel that intelligence and autonomous decision making abilities will also be an important feature in the mobile robotics market. Robotics are great, but the future of the robotics industry lies in the ability to create smarter robots, capable of problem solving and requiring as little human hand-holding as possible.”
What associated technologies might influence the growth of this market?
“Almost half of the respondents (48 percent) believe that Independent navigation systems are the best part of the mobile robots. Therefore, sensor technologies will play an extremely important role in developing future robotic technologies.”
“In addition, 20 percent of respondents believe that a mobile robot is (essentially) only as good as its battery. So an extensive battery life is also viewed as highly important.
“Apart from those two features, camera and RFID technologies are expected to play a big part in advancing mobile robotic technology.”
What are some of the problems currently affecting the adoption rates of mobile robots?
“Well, for one, cost is a still a big factor holding back a lot of businesses from adopting mobile robotics. 26 percent of respondents still view costs as the most prominent hurdle in the market.
“After cost comes safety and security. While this is already at the top of the list for developing future mobile robotic technologies, 23 percent of respondents are still not comfortable in trusting a robot to get the job done. Hopefully this will change in the near future as many companies are putting safety at the top of their priorities list.
“Then, of course, the issues of man-to-machine interface issues and robot intelligence come into play. Many manufacturing companies that require robotics must consider if the robot is capable of completing the required tasks.
“But more so, they need to make sure that the robot is being used properly. This can require hours of employee training. Again, as technologies develop, we should see improvements in the ease-of-use factor.”
How many years do you think it would take for mass production of Humanoid robots?
“Ah, we’ve arrived at the H.G. Wells aspect of robotics. Well I’m assuming we’ve all seen the video of President Obama playing soccer with ASIMO, the robot in Japan’s Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation.”
“As you can see, we are not far off from mass production of humanoid robots. 47 percent of respondents feel that we will see mass production in around 10 years, while 43 percent feel that it will take between 6-10 years.”
What will be the most important applications for humanoid robots?
“Well, first and foremost will be for research and development purposes. This doesn’t just mean researching in the field of robotics, but robots have the potential to go where humans cannot.
“Second to research is entertainment. I mean, who wouldn’t want to play soccer with a robot? Personally, I’m just excited about the possibility of a robot doing my dishes; and with 27 percent of respondents ranking entertainment as the second most important application, I am certainly not alone.”
