This video, a farewell rear projector show from car maker Subaru when they left their headquarters of 48 years, contains some amazing robotic cameo appearances. (Did Godzilla also make an appearance?)
2014 has been a big year for industrial automation, with a projected increase of 7% in IAE (industrial automation equipment) worldwide revenue, doubling the previous 2012-2013 increase of 3.4%. Thanks to constant technological innovations, it’s predicted that IAE revenue will continue to rise well past the 2014 year mark.
Manufacturing and the auto industry in particular are the power players. More and more companies in these spaces have been finding ways to improve efficiency and cut down on expenses by implementing advanced robotics into their workforce. Although intuitively this would mean that more and more human workers are being replaced by automated machines, the reality is actually quite the opposite.
Robotics has been identified as a major factor in the return of U.S. manufacturing jobs, which were previously believed to have been on a sharp decline. Jeff Burnstein, president of the Robotics Industries Association, stated that “While we often hear that robots are job killers, just the opposite is true…Robots save and create jobs.”
In the first half of 2014, there was a whopping 36% increase in the number of robots ordered from automotive OEM and component industries. Robotics and cars have gone together from the beginning, but it’s good to see this kind of increase in a mature market. Alex Shikany, the director of market analysis at the RIA, sees growth beyond auto manufacturing, too:
“While the automotive industry continues to be the largest customer for robotics, it’s great to see non-automotive sectors posting strong growth as well…This is a very positive sign for the long term health of the industry.”
On a related note, it is predicted that the niches of motors and motor control will be one of the biggest contributors (40 percent) to the IAE 2014 revenue. That number is very likely to keep growing due to the increasing implementation of robotics in fields such as medicine and construction.