Robotics is one of the most exciting and rapidly growing fields of technology. It has great potential and benefits for both companies and private users in their daily worries. Smart robots, widely used in factories and at home, are becoming an integral part of our lives, and this trend promises to continue in the future.
Industrial robots vs. Consumer robots
The main field of application of robotics for many decades was production. Industrial robots replace people in areas that require special precision, the realization of unfeasible or simple repetitive tasks, and where there is a high risk of harm to the health of workers.
The use of robots in production increases productivity and provides flexibility. Optimization of production is a key factor in increasing the competitiveness of enterprises and guarantees a higher level of quality, safety and durability of products.
From year to year, industrial robots are growing. The International Robotics Federation estimates that 225,000 robots were sold in 2014, 27% more than in 2013. According to preliminary estimates, in 2015 the growth continued and amounted to 15%.
Experts expect that by 2018 the annual sales of industrial robots will amount to 400 thousand pieces, which is almost twice as much as it is now.
In 2014, the European Union created the world’s largest program to promote SPARC robotics, designed to create more than 240 thousand jobs in Europe and consolidate the EU leadership in the development and production of industrial robots.
According to SPARC analysts’ estimates, today the robotics market is 22 billion euros, and by 2020 the profit from the sales of industrial robots will be from 50 to 62 billion euros.
Nevertheless, the aggregate growth of the robotics industry is connected not only with the automation of production and industrial robots. Robotics is increasingly being used in the medical, educational and entertainment sectors.
Many experts see a breakthrough in robotics in the development of consumer robots, which could be used to solve daily problems we face in life. We are talking about nanny robots, teachers, security guards, household assistants, etc.
The Consumer Robotics report of the analytical company Tractica notes that the next 5 years will see a significant growth of this sector from 6.6 million units in 2015 to 31.2 million units in 2020. In total, almost 100 million consumer robots will be sold over this period.
This significant increase in interest in consumer robotics is linked to the general trend of technology personalization. In order to reach their customers, manufacturers are striving to create solutions that are as comfortable and user-friendly as possible and that solve individual problems of individual users, adapting to their needs, habits and interests.
This is made possible by the active development of artificial intelligence technologies and the concept of the Internet of Things, using “smart connected” devices with (or without) a variety of sensors to complement the physical reality of the user.
The combination of the IoT and robotics will make it possible to realize completely unique possibilities of human interaction with devices.
Auriga and robotic projects
Auriga engineers have extensive experience in developing robotic systems. In particular, as part of the project for one of our customers, Auriga’s team has been involved in the development of an automated warehouse system at all stages, from design and architecture to algorithms, system logic, manual and automated testing and customization of the customer’s solution.
The product itself is an automated warehouse system consisting of robotic equipment and software to manage it, allowing you to control the full range of functions of the order: storage, movement, inventory, etc.
This project required Auriga’s engineers to have experience in developing firmware, using Java, programming complex movement algorithms and working with high-level business logic.
Robotics is something that may well become the next big thing. All the prerequisites have been created for this now. At this stage, it is important not to make mistakes in choosing a partner for development.
This is a very specific sphere requiring a certain combination of skills. One of the advantages of Auriga is the presence of expertise in the field of embedded and mobile software development, interoperability of equipment.
In addition, our engineers have experience in developing solutions with complex business logic and “smart connected” devices that are part of the IoT system.
This allows us to qualitatively implement complex projects on development of software for medical robotics, robotics for “smart” cars, consumer robots and other similar devices.