According to the International Federation of Robotics, there are over 1.1 million robots working globally. But these robots aren’t the humanoids made popular by Hollywood movies, and some of them might not be readily recognized as robots at all.

The robots that are capturing the world’s attention have a major role to perform – and that’s taking over repetitive and dangerous tasks from their human counterparts on the factory floor.

Trends in Manufacturing & Robotics:

1. First and foremost, the use of robots isn’t something that is new to manufacturers. The automotive industry has been dependent on automated job flows assisted by robots for a long time. In fact the recent surge in productivity in the sector can be traced back to effective delegation of tasks that require strength and precision.
2. New breakthroughs in robotics will enable the creation of affordable mechanized “helpers” that can be trained by their human counterparts and possess improved capabilities of sensing and memory. From picking to packing to inspection, all aspects of manufacturing that do not call for complex decision making can be assigned to robots.
3. Robotics is the surprise ally of manufacturers! Robots can not only take on the unfilled production jobs that are not interesting to young workers, they have also captured the interest of the next generation of engineers and programmers who are still in school. These prospective candidates might just consider a career in manufacturing when they realize that modern jobs often include designing, programming, and working alongside advanced robots.

Cultivating Early Robotics Interest

Success is the best motivator. Red River Precision recently assisted The Westwood High School Robotics team and contributed our expertise in crafting the team’s entrant into the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC).

Named #2583, the prototype performed impressively and even earned a place in the semi-finals.

Red River hopes that this victory is the start of a romance with robotics that can change not only the lives of these students but also the fate of manufacturing in the US.