The robotics industry is constantly evolving, with new innovations transforming the industry every year. The seven most innovative robotics trends of 2022 are changing the industry in response to historic challenges from the past couple of years. With Industry 4.0 fully taking shape in many industries, these trends are on track to shape the future of robotics.
1. Collaborative Robots
Collaborative robots, or “cobots,” are surging in popularity today. The COVID-19 pandemic gave the cobot market a major boost in 2020 that has yet to slow down. More and more businesses are using cobots to complement their staff and meet demand even with a small team. In fact, the popularity of cobots has resulted in a decline of the “robots stealing jobs” narrative. The reality is that robots are helping people work easier and safer while robots fill in empty roles.
Unlike a conventional robot, cobots are designed to work with humans, not in isolation. This allows businesses to combine the strengths of human employees with the strengths of robots. Cobots not only make work safer for employees, but they also boost productivity – one of the major reasons for their success so far.
2. RPA Is Here to Stay
Few can deny the benefits of robotic process automation, especially given the growth RPA is experiencing. RPA improves quality control, reduces costs, and increases efficiency, among numerous other valuable returns. The 2020s will see a significant increase in RPA adoption, but it is one of the main high points of 2022 in particular.
Estimates predict that the global RPA market will be worth over $29.3 billion by 2030, with an impressive CAGR of 27.7% – higher than many other technologies can claim. The growth of RPA is also connected to the growth of peripheral robotics technologies such as cobots and AI. RPA companies are adapting to this by making more widely compatible devices that customers can easily use with other robots to create highly customizable systems.
3. Robot Employees
Similar to cobots, robot employees are a trend that is emerging in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 virus itself initially forced businesses to reduce employee-to-customer human contact for safety reasons. In the second half of the pandemic and onward, though, staffing shortages became a more immediate problem for many businesses.
As a result, robots are beginning to take over unfilled jobs, even in roles that would have once been thought impossible for automation. A great example of this is autonomous delivery robots, used to deliver food and other small online orders. These have become so popular that several states have written laws to address where the robots can and can’t operate. With same-day orders in record-high demand for everything from meals to electronics, delivery robots fill the equally high demand for delivery drivers.
4. Integrating AI
As robotics technology continues to evolve, so does artificial intelligence. A global 2021 study by McKinsey found that 56% of businesses report using AI in at least one function — through which they’ve found numerous benefits. For example, companies such as retailers have enjoyed 1%-2% sales jumps, while businesses in production industries have seen up to 20% reduced conversion costs.
Interestingly, respondents also reported significant cost decreases from AI adoption between 2019 and 2020. This potentially indicates the surge in innovation and adoption in robotics and AI sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, AI remains one of the top trends in robotics because its applications continue to evolve. Businesses can integrate AI into robotic automation systems to create smart automation. Processes like customer service and inventory management can be automated as well, which wouldn’t be possible with robotics alone. Innovations in machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing will only continue to grow the popularity of AI alongside and within robotic systems.
5. Predictive Maintenance
Robotics may save massive amounts of money over time, but it also comes with maintenance costs to ensure peak performance continues. As a result, predictive maintenance is on the rise in robotics this year. Predictive maintenance uses technology like Internet of Things sensors to monitor a robot’s performance and physical condition. Sensor data reveals performance dips that indicate when it’s time to complete maintenance before a major repair is needed.
IoT sensors are also useful in robotic process automation, where they can help guide robots in highly useful tasks, such as quality control. IoT and remote sensing and tracking technologies are becoming especially popular in warehouses, where robots are being used to do everything from picking items off shelves to packing boxes for shipment.
6. Increasing Compatibility
With so much adoption and innovation in robotics, variety and customization are becoming a concern for some businesses. In 2022, more robotics developers are keeping this in mind. Industry experts have pointed out the trend toward cooperation in RPA this year, noting that it relies on combining numerous technologies for maximum effectiveness.
This trend encompasses AI and machine learning but also other robots. A manufacturing company, for example, may need completely different robots for different parts of their manufacturing process or for making different products. It is becoming a market advantage for robots to be easily compatible with other, entirely different robots. This is an interesting contrast to other industries but points to a robot-reliant future ahead.
7. Foodservice Robots
While robotics adoption is increasing in virtually every niche, foodservice robots are getting especially widespread attention. The food industry is not one that many think of as a “robot industry.” After all, it is difficult to imagine a robot taking the place of a famous chef in a gourmet kitchen or inventing new recipes for a cookbook. Everyday jobs in the food industry are lacking applicants, though, and businesses need a solution that can meet the demand for rapid foodservice.
A great example of food robotics that works is the already famous pizza-making robot. By the time the autonomous Picnic pizza-making robot opened to presales in 2021, many had already heard of it, from industry leaders to everyday consumers.
It’s one of a growing number of robotics-as-a-service robots that are likely to revolutionize the food and beverage industry in 2022 and throughout the next decade. Robots are also becoming more popular in serving and customer service functions, as well.
Robotics, Industry 4.0, and the 2020s
If the most innovative robotics trends of 2022 prove anything, it’s the undeniable emergence of Industry 4.0. The past couple of years have seen the rise of automation on a scale and across more industries than has ever been seen before. Robotics is at the heart of that growth. Greater adoption is bringing prices down and sparking new waves of innovation in the industry. By the end of 2022, many of these trends could even become new industry standards.
