In the last few decades, robotics has grown from a science fiction concept to a trending technology that promises to improve our lives dramatically by automating menial tasks and greatly increasing productivity to unimaginable levels.
Robotics are be paving the way toward a new age, one in which the tasks we previously took weeks or even months to complete will be accomplished in hours or days with minimum manpower and maximum efficiency. The industrial robotics used in the automotive industry have always been outside the reach of smaller businesses and manufacturers as they not only require weeks of extensive programming and an enormous amount of space in which to work, but they come at a cost which is extremely prohibitive and outside of most small and midsize companies’ scope.
In just the last few years however, robotics have changed, and today even the smallest manufacturing business can capitalize on this trending technology. Two particular companies right now are at the forefront of making robotics a reality for the small business model: Universal Robotics and Rethink Robotics.
Universal Robotics have created the first line of robotic arms that are affordable and easily installed in almost any manufacturing environment. As a matter of fact, Universal Robotics have already distributed thousands of UR5 and UR10 Robotic arms around the world to rave reviews. The UR5 and the UR10 are easily deployed, with plug-and-play technology and a straight forward interface that makes programming an easy task. Most workers can easily program these robotic arms within a few hours to accomplish a wide variety of tasks, with only a minimal amount of training. This means businesses can deploy the robotic arms without spending a fortune. They are actually so easy to program, even a child can learn the interface. And the Universal Robotics Corporation estimates an average payback period of only 195 days.
Rethink Robotics designs and manufactures a robot that can not only do nearly any task an unskilled laborer can do, but is also capable of learning and adapting to new environments. “Baxter” robots work side by side with skilled labor and are trained interactively. This is a key point; they are trained (by manual manipulation) as opposed to programmed. What this means is that these robots can be trained in a matter of hours to do most tasks without the trainers needing any programming knowledge or any special knowledge of robotics.
One of the things Rethink Robotics focused on with Baxter is creating a robot that moves at human speeds, with human strength and precision. This is in direct opposition to how most previous industrial robotics worked and one of the reasons that, up until now, smaller companies simply couldn’t afford to employ automation on this level. Rethink is getting people to “rethink robotics” by manufacturing robots that are very inexpensive, easily deployed and can be trained by most line operators to perform an extremely wide variety of tasks. The low base price of the Baxter robot makes it cost effective for even the smallest business with an ROI of usually less than a year.
One of the trends we are seeing in robotics is what is being called “collaborative robotics”. Robots are being made to work side by side with humans, with the current workers being the programmers and trainers. One of the problems that robotics have faced in the past was the objection that robots would take jobs away from people, but what we are seeing is that robots are actually helping people perform their jobs quicker and more productively. As this trend continues and more businesses begin to implement collaborative robotics in their operation, we will see an increase in production which will create a higher profit margin allowing for greater growth and more jobs.
In the not-so-distant future, robotics will become a normal part of society, allowing even the smallest of businesses to automate many tedious tasks to provide the best service or product for their customers. Just as the internet, over a short span of time, changed the way we think and communicate and live our daily lives, robotics will change our lives and the way we work and play and interact. Robotics is here and now, it’s emerging and it’s important for businesses to embrace the technology now, in order to succeed and prosper in this exciting era.
