Getting Started with Robots in 2023: What You Need to Know

Here at Robotiq, we've been helping people to integrate robots into their businesses for over 15 years. But the world is changing rapidly!

With continuous advancements in robotic technology and an ever-shifting global situation, you need to keep yourself informed so that you can make the most of robotic technology.

The potential applications of robots are seemingly endless. From streamlining your assembly processes to tending CNC machines, it can seem a little overwhelming if you are only just getting started with robotics.

What do you need to know to get started with robotics in 2023?

Let's discuss the changing landscape of automation so you can get more from robots this year.

Introducing the changing landscape of automation in 2023

The world is always changing. The robotic industry is no different.

Although robot technology advances slower than most people might imagine, every year brings new technologies, new applications, and new opportunities to change how we work by adding automation.

Over the last few years, the world has changed for almost everyone. The 2020 global pandemic affected so many industries. Now, people are starting to come back to in-person events, reconnect with contacts they lost touch with during the pandemic, and work on building stronger relationships.

Such relationships are vital when we are talking about robots. As we saw at the Automatica 2022 trade fair, so many people are now looking to add robotic automation for the first time. They need the support of the community and companies like Robotiq to help them.

But there is a difference between how people were buying robots before and after the pandemic…

Now, more than ever, people are looking for quick solutions that they can deploy to their facilities almost immediately. They don't have time to wait many months to deploy a conventional industrial robot — they want their robot to work out of the box!

3 global factors that will affect your automation now

For many companies, various interlinked factors are causing the drive to automate.

Almost all industries have changed since the advent of robots in the 1950s. We are experiencing a unique set of challenges than the companies that added the first industrial robots way back 70 years ago.

Here are 3 global factors that are causing many companies to adopt robots for the first time right now:

1. Supply chain disruption

The first factor that is affecting many industries is supply chain disruption. We have written before why these disruptions are occurring and why robots can be such an effective solution.

Various global events have affected supply chains, leaving many companies to re-think how they source materials while remaining competitive.

2. Labor shortages

A second factor is labor shortages. With many workers deciding to change their jobs following the 2020 pandemic, there are now major labor shortages in various industries and countries.

Automation is one solution to fill the gap caused by labor shortages. Robots can help companies to make better use of their existing human workers by giving less value-added tasks to robots.

3. Robot application kits

A third factor that is opening up robots to many new users is easy-to-deploy robotic application kits. These allow you to deploy a robot to a particular task in a matter of hours or days, not months as was required for conventional industrial robots.

It is now easier than ever to get started with robotics, which makes the technology a lot more inviting for companies.

The benefits and challenges of getting started now

Why is now a good time to get started with robots?

Like many companies, you probably can't afford to wait to add robots to your processes. With so many companies adding automation, it is rapidly becoming likely that not adding robots could soon become a competitive disadvantage.

Some benefits of adding robots are:

• Improved customer experience as robots can help to improve product quality and reduce lead times.

• New opportunities with robots giving you extra capacity and capability that you may not have had previously.

• Future proofing of your business as automation looks likely to become a required technology over the next decade.

Of course, there are also potential challenges of adding robots. You can overcome these challenges if you are aware of them and choose the right robotic solutions.

Some challenges of adding robots can be:

• Complexity of getting started. You can reduce or even remove this challenge by using simple robotic solutions, such as application kits.

• Training in robotic technology. This was traditionally a big problem with robots. However, it is now much easier to learn with simple collaborative robots.

• System integration of the robot. This traditionally required professional robot integrators. While some applications may still need a professional, you can integrate many robot kits these days with no extra help.

What resources are available to help you

The key when adding any new technology to your business is to get the right information to make your life easier.

One reason that more companies are adding robots these days is that there is so much more and better support available than there was in the past. There are videos, online courses, blog articles, and many other resources besides.

For example, if you want to add a machine tending robot to your business, you can get all the information you need in just one place…

In our Machine Tending Toolkit, we collated 7 tools that will help you to quickly get started with robotic machine tending.

Exploring the exciting potential of robotics in 2023 and beyond

Robots have come a long way over the last few years. And they will continue to evolve in the future.

If you are just getting started with robots for the first time, you are already benefiting from years of research and development in the industry.

And if you want simple help to getting started with robots, a good place to begin is on our page Why Robots.

What has stopped you from adding robots before now? Tell us in the comments below or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or the DoF professional robotics community.