The industrial sector is increasingly adopting automation solutions such as the industrial internet of things (IIoT) to transform their production capability. In recent years, the manufacturing industry has largely focused on the deployment of IIoT solutions as they increase efficiency, monitor assets, and facilitate streamlined maintenance. With this state-of-the-art technology, machinery maintenance can be scheduled with real-time tracking and advanced data insights before any problem arises. At present, IIoT is steering the industrial sector toward growth and development by transforming the linear conventional manufacturing supply chains into dynamic and interconnected systems.
The increasing focus of the manufacturing sector on IIoT will, therefore, help the modular robotics market prosper at a CAGR of 9.9% during 2020–2030. According to P&S Intelligence, the market was valued at $5.6 billion in 2019, and it will generate $15.1 billion revenue by 2030. Key industries opting for such robotic systems are automotive, healthcare, electrical and electronics, food and beverages, plastics and rubber, cosmetics, aerospace, and metals and machinery.
Additionally, the rising demand for collaborative modular robotic systems (cobots) from the logistics and manufacturing industries will also fuel the production of modular robots in the upcoming years. The adoption of cobots is redefining human and robot dynamics across the industrial and logistics sector, as their versatile nature enables them to perform several tasks with the assistance of suitable end-effectors. For instance, logistics companies use cobots to carry and transport loads and inspect fragile products.
Apart from cobots, the industrial sector also deploys selective compliance assembly robot arm (SCARA) modular robots, articulated modular robots, parallel modular robots, cartesian modular robots, cylindrical robots, and spherical robots to improve their manufacturing capabilities. These robots are available with different payload capacities— 1–16.0 Kg, 16.1–60.0 Kg, 60.1–225.0 Kg, and more than 225.0 Kg. At present, modular robots with 60.1–225.0 kg payload capacity are being preferred by heavy industries, such as electrical and electronics and automotive, for picking and placing, machine tending, palletizing process, handing materials, and transferring components and parts.
Currently, modular robotic system manufacturers are launching new and improved products to offer advanced options to their clientele. For example, in April 2020, Yaskawa Electric Corporation unveiled the MOTOMAN-GP300R, a multipurpose robot, under its MOTOMAN-GP series. This robot has a maximum reach of 3,220 mm and a payload capacity of 300 kg. It can be used for jig transportation, commutation between machines, and transportation of automobile body parts. Other manufacturers such as FANUC Corporation, b+m surface systems GmbH, ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH, and OTC DAIHEN Inc. are also offering advanced products to their customers.
In the recent past, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region dominated the modular robotics market due to the hefty investments made in the automation of the automotive and electrical and electronics industries, especially in India, South Korea, and China. Furthermore, APAC is also expected to advance at a considerable rate in the forthcoming years, due to the surging popularity of industrial cobots, owing to their high adaptability, ability to handle short-run and repetitive tasks, and pre-enabled plug and play features.
Therefore, the rising penetration of IIoT in the manufacturing sector and the surging use of cobots will facilitate the deployment of modular robotic systems in the foreseeable future.
