There were more than three million industrial robots operating in factories around the world in 2020, according to a report published in December 2021 by International Federation of Robotics (IFR).
It said the use of industrial robots in factories doubled in five years – from 66 robots per 10,000 human workers in 2015, to 126 per 10,000 in 2020.
Robot orders were up 21% overall in 2021 and increased 40% in the first quarter of 2022, according to the Association for Advancing Automation.
Us vs them? Robots and related technologies are typically portrayed in pop culture and the media as the enemies of human workers. But this isn’t borne out by the facts.
South Korea is the world’s most automated country, according to IFR, with a robot density (robots per 10,000 human workers) of 932, which is almost eight times the global average of 126. The country’s robot density has been increasing by 10% every year since 2015, yet unemployment has remained steady at around 3.5% for two decades.
According to a study conducted by the World Economic Forum before the pandemic, while some industries or roles will see job losses, new technologies will spark a net increase of 58 million jobs globally over the next few years.
In some areas – such as subsea engineering, offshore maintenance, nuclear decommissioning, deep mining, and space – robots can also carry out tasks that are dangerous for humans, it said.
Robot nations
Second to South Korea on the list of the most automated countries is Singapore, which is followed by Japan, Germany, Sweden, Hong Kong, the US, Chinese Taipei, China and Denmark, which are tied for ninth, and Italy.
Hong Kong moved up one spot in 2020, going from sixth to seventh, while the US went from ninth to seventh and Denmark dropped from sixth to ninth. But China saw the greatest leap, with a robot density of 246, taking from 15th to ninth. In 2015, it ranked 25th, with a robot density of just 49.
Though India doubled the number of industrial robots in its factories from 2014 to 2019, IFR said in a 2020 report, the country still has a long way to go, with just four industrial robots per 10,000 employees.
Types of robots
While applications vary greatly, today’s robots can generally be grouped into six categories, according to Intel.
Autonomous mobile robots: AMRs are mobile and can make decisions in real-time. They are fitted with sensors and cameras to “see” their surroundings, and processors to analyse information and make informed decisions.
On May 30, Reuters reported that after struggling to find staff during the pandemic, businesses in Singapore have increasingly turned to deploying such robots to help carry out a range of tasks, from surveying construction sites to scanning library bookshelves.
Source: Boston Dynamics
The workforce includes ‘Spot’, the four-legged robot built by Boston Dynamics and made famous by YouTube. They are used to scan sections of mud and gravel to check on work progress at construction sites and send the data back to the control room.
Automated guided vehicles: These are similar to AMRs, except that they travel on tracks or predefined paths and often require oversight. They are commonly used in warehouses and factories to deliver materials and move items.
Articulated robots: Also known as robotic arms, these emulate the functions of a human arm and feature anywhere from two to 10 rotary joints, making them ideal for tasks like welding, assembling, sealing, material handling, picking, cutting, painting, and spraying.
Humanoids: While these may be technically classified as AMRs, the term is used for robots that perform human-centric functions and often take human-like forms.
Source: Tesla
Examples include Tesla Bot, aka Optimus, a general-purpose robotic humanoid under development at Tesla. CEO Elon Musk claimed at the company’s Artificial Intelligence Day event last August that Tesla would likely build a prototype by 2022.
On Friday, Musk said on Twitter that Tesla may have a functioning Optimus up and running within months, as he postponed the company’s second AI Day until September 30.
