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The previous few years have seen many organizations implement tech-driven adjustments at a fast tempo. As society turns into extra digital, embracing know-how and successfully managing new processes is essential to the success of virtually each enterprise.
With fast office transformation evident throughout industries, whether or not that’s transferring to hybrid working or adopting new applied sciences, what can we count on from 2023? Here are 5 predictions for the approaching yr.
1. Turnkey options will make automation extra accessible than ever
In current years we’ve witnessed the event of many several types of subtle applied sciences. Advances in robotics, machine studying and different applied sciences have elevated the tempo of this variation tenfold. While these promise to vary or revolutionize the enterprise world, all know-how corporations endure from the identical drawback – they will’t be good at every thing.
In the world of robotics, that is no totally different. Creating a robotic system requires {hardware} growth, software program growth, utility growth, sensors, and interfaces to call a couple of. That’s why 2023 would be the yr of turnkey options.
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) – corporations creating new purposes and merchandise round current applied sciences – will lie on the coronary heart of this. They are in a position to drive innovation by combining applied sciences to ship full options for the commonest purposes, comparable to welding and palletizing. The outcome? Automation will turn out to be extra subtle but extra simple to make use of than ever earlier than.
Enabled Robotics, an OEM primarily based in Denmark, is a superb instance of how this works. Since 2016 the corporate has been working to mix two varieties of cutting-edge know-how by mounting collaborative robotic arms (cobots) onto autonomous cellular robots (AMRs). This hybrid know-how is now working in business, warehouse administration and manufacturing and bringing robotics to service purposes and hospital intralogistics.
Ultimately, 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 discover to convey robots alongside people on this planet of labor.
2. Manufacturers will flip in the direction of modular manufacturing
Traditional industrial robots stay necessary in some elements of producing, however we’re seeing a pattern in the direction of deploying extra versatile fashions of manufacturing. This is essentially all the way down to the truth that conventional industrial robots are sometimes giant and glued and entail advanced 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 are designed to work alongside people so pose much less threat to security and are higher suited to environments that require flexibility and adaptableness. On prime of this, they’re most cost-effective for companies trying to deploy automation – a key consideration as we transfer into 2023.
The cobot business is projected to develop to USD 2.2 billion by 2026 (The Collaborative Robot Market 2022 Report, Interact Analysis). As cobots proceed to vary the best way work is completed in purposes comparable to packing, palletizing, welding and meeting, in 2023 we are going to see even bigger corporations turning to light-weight cobots to extend modularity of their manufacturing. Robot weight and flexibility can be key specs for these on the lookout for new automation options and we are going to see extra reconfigurable robotic work cells than ever earlier than.
3. Higher payload and longer attain cobots will change the panorama for some purposes
As extra corporations transfer in the direction of cobot automation, many will nonetheless wish to deal with heavy payloads. The excellent news is that we’ve lately seen the introduction of a number of greater payload, longer attain cobots. In 2023 these will proceed to remodel elements of the manufacturing business, bettering the working lives of many workers.
This yr, Universal Robots introduced a brand new cobot, the UR20, which is constructed for greater payloads, sooner speeds, and superior movement management all inside a light-weight, small footprint system. The 20 kg payload capability will rework industries comparable to palletizing whereas its 1750 mm attain is eagerly anticipated to be used in welding. Manufacturers on the lookout for that further flexibility will discover the robotic gentle sufficient to be unbolted and relocated or connected to a heavy base with wheels. This will create new potentialities for purposes and can drive innovation throughout the board. The UR20 can be delivered to prospects in 2023.
Annual installations of commercial robots worldwide. | Source: IFR
4. Despite world uncertainties, long-term will increase in industrial robotic installations will proceed
The current IFR World Robotics Report confirmed industrial robotic set up reached an all-time excessive in 2021 increasing by 31% over the earlier yr. Overall, worldwide annual robotic installations between 2015 and 2021 have greater than doubled. Although development in 2022 appears to be slower throughout the sector, that is largely all the way down to world uncertainties triggered by the pandemic and shortage of digital elements.
We count on the upward pattern of cobot automation to renew in 2023. Why? Because companies the world over are dealing with labor and abilities shortages and, regardless of the day-to-day challenges dealing with business proper now, we’re within the midst of transition in the direction of business 5.0 the place working alongside robots will create extra human-centric, sustainable and resilient companies.
5. Customers can be discovered on the coronary heart of product growth
Although we speak extensively about robotic collaboration within the office, human collaboration is what drives innovation.
Customers perceive their very own wants higher than anybody else and, because the automation market has matured, are higher positioned than ever earlier than to supply worthwhile enter on their necessities. This means robotics corporations will contain prospects way more in product growth. It is why Universal Robots has reorganized its product creation groups and is focusing closely on understanding the issues prospects are dealing with earlier than designing options.
Co-development tasks the place robotics corporations and prospects work collectively in creating particular options are additionally certain to extend in 2023 and past. Ultimately these enable prospects to instantly affect the product they’re shopping for, whereas on the identical time delivering worthwhile suggestions for the robotic corporations – that means they’ll be capable of launch a product to the advantage of the entire market.
Now greater than ever, companies have to innovate consistently and stay adaptable so as to survive and develop. As we head into 2023, they’ll rely ever extra on know-how and innovation to interrupt new floor with turnkey options on the coronary heart – all of which make the yr forward an thrilling time for automation.
About the Author
Anders Billesø Beck leads the event of cobot applied sciences to maintain world companies agile, productive and progressive. Anders is vp for technique and innovation at Universal Robots, the worldwide chief in versatile automation, and holds a PhD in robotics from DTU, the Technical University of Denmark.
He is a former elite swimmer and member of the Danish nationwide staff, and he has additionally held main positions on the Danish Technological Institute. Anders combines his scientific background with contributions to the worldwide collaborative automation business to vary the best way the world works.