International Federation of Robotics: 5 Robot Trends for 2022

The global operational stock of industrial robots has reached a new record of around 3 million units, growing by an average of 13% per year between 2015 and 2020.

“The transformation of robotic automation is accelerating the pace of traditional and emerging industries, and more companies are realizing the many advantages robotics can offer their businesses,” said Milton Gehry, president of the International Federation of Robotics.

Recently, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) analyzed five major trends shaping global robotics and automation.

1 – Robot adoption in new industries: The relatively new field of automation is rapidly adopting robots. Consumer behavior is driving companies to meet personalized demands for products and delivery.

The e-commerce revolution is driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to accelerate in 2022. Thousands of robots are installed worldwide today, and the field did not exist five years ago.

To address labor shortages, companies that hadn't considered automation before will reconsider. Businesses that rely on service workers, such as retail and restaurants, are unable to fill vacancies, so we can expect to see them invest in automation to meet customer demand. Relatively new robotics customer industries such as delivery and logistics, construction, agriculture, etc., benefit from the ever-advancing technology.

2 – Robots are easier to use: Implementing robots can be a complex task, but a new generation of robots is easier to use. There is a clear trend in user interfaces that allow for simple icon-driven programming and manual guidance of robots. Robotics companies and some third-party vendors are bundling hardware packages with software to simplify implementation. This trend may seem simple, but products that focus on complete ecosystems add tremendous value by reducing effort and time.

The trend in low-cost robotics also includes ease of setup and installation, in some cases pre-configured for specific applications. Suppliers provide standard procedures that combine grippers, sensors and controllers. The app store provides program routines for various applications and supports low-cost robot deployment.

3 – Robotics and Human Upskilling: More and more governments, industry associations and companies see the need for the next generation of early-stage robotics and automation education. The data-driven production line journey will focus on education and training. In addition to training workers internally, external educational pathways can enhance employee learning programs. Robot manufacturers such as ABB, FANUC, KUKA and YASKAWA have between 10,000 and 30,000 participants each year in robotics courses in more than 30 countries.

Robotics are making things better for factory workers. As the recent "Great Resignation" shows, people want to work in a modern environment where they can build a career. New training opportunities in robotics are a win-win strategy for both companies and employees: boring, dirty and dangerous tasks can be automated, while people learn key skills for the industrial workplace of the future and increase their earnings throughout their careers potential.

4 – Robots secure production: Trade tensions and COVID-19 are driving manufacturing back closer to customers. Supply chain issues have led companies to consider nearshoring for automation as a solution.

A particularly revealing statistic from the US shows how automation can help businesses get back to business: Robot orders in the US grew 35% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2021, according to the Association to Advance Automation (A3). In 2020, more than half of the orders came from non-automotive industries.

This record growth isn't just in robotics -- machine vision, motion control, and motors have also seen big gains. "The Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting disruptions to supply chains and labour supply appear to be the drivers many need to justify investment," said IFR Secretary-General Dr Susanne Bieller. "The companies most likely to invest in automation are those that have already Companies that have been thinking about it for a while but haven’t made the final move.”

5 – Robots enable digital automation: In 2022 and beyond, we believe data will be a key enabler of future manufacturing. Producers will analyze data collected from intelligent automated processes to make better-informed decisions. With the ability of robots to share tasks and learn through artificial intelligence, companies can also more easily adopt intelligent automation in new environments, from buildings to food and beverage packaging facilities to healthcare laboratories.

Robotic AI is maturing, and learning robots are becoming mainstream. The industry is past the pilot phase, and we can expect to see larger-scale deployments of these technologies in 2022.