Cobots and the Future of Robotic Inspection Systems
Overview Cobots, collaborative robots designed to interact with people in a shared environment, are radically reshaping the future of robotic inspection systems. An exponential demand can drive the cobots market expected to reach $12.3 billion by 2025, at a compounded annual growth rate of 50.1%. Their increased adoption, enhanced safety features, faster certification processes, and better efficiency in varied environments have led the way. These improvements and innovative technologies like Control Barrier Functions (CBFs) present a promising future in safe human-robot interaction.
Cobots Growth and Demand Increasing not just in manufacturing but in a variety of industries, cobots are now central to inspection systems. They share workspace with human employees, offering assistance in repetitive, mundane tasks and even complex ones that require precision. The Market Research Future Report predicts a compound annual growth rate of 34% by 2027 for the industrial cobot market. Indies like automation, packaging, & inspection account for nearly 39% of the cobot industry growth, with wide-ranging applications providing impetus to this progression.
Safety with Cobots One major advantage of cobots is the safety they offer when working side by side with humans. They are engineered to recognize and respect human presence, ceasing their operation upon close contact or collision. Certain cobots come equipped with advanced safety measures such as infrared sensors to ensure zero accidents while working in shared operational zones. An accident reduction of 58% has been reported in workspaces where cobots are used, thereby reducing workplace injury and increasing efficiency.
CBFs and Cobot Certification Implementing cobots in shared working areas comes with its challenges, primarily the stringent robotic certification processes that vary from country to country. The lack of standard international certification measures does hurdle the progress in bringing safe cobots to the forefront of industries. However, with the advent of Control Barrier Functions (CBFs), created at Caltech, certification processes can be made more straightforward with robust safety features acting as evidence towards system robustness. The inclusion of CBFs can lead to a 47% faster certification process for manufacturers.
Efficiency with CBFs CBFs also offer increased operational efficiency by reducing downtime due to unnecessary emergency stops. By providing real-time on-field navigational flexibility, cobots can function at or close to their peak capabilities. In industries like automation, warehouse robotics, and inspecting systems, enhanced safety protocols and real-time operations have resulted in a 40% efficiency increase and a 6-month payback period.
Key Takeaways - Cobots can bring substantial growth in varied industries with a projected market value of $12.3 billion by 2025. - Safety measures built into cobots can provide accident reduction by 58%, increasing efficiency and reducing downtime. - Control Barrier Functions (CBFs) can ease certification, providing a 47% faster process and robust safety features. - The inclusion of CBFs can increase operational efficiency by 40% reducing payback period to 6 months.
3Laws Robotics Understanding the potential of cobots and their role in shaping the industry future, 3Laws Robotics is developing innovative software solutions to enhance their safety, reliability, and versatility in varied industrial applications. Overcoming challenges of certification, a significant pain point for robotics companies, is a primary focus for 3Laws, thus delivering potentially easing certification path with robust safety attributes. The powerful 3Laws Supervisor software is built on a technologically solid foundation of Control Barrier Functions (CBFs), guaranteeing mathematically proven safety. 3Laws' technology is adaptable to a full suite of platforms, including mobile robots, cars, drones, and manipulators. It pushes beyond conventional e-stop methodologies, opening a path for proactive safety strategies for ISO 3691-4 and ISO 26262 certification, charting the imminent future of robotics with strong, predictive safety measures.