Does the topic of robotics fascinate you? Nowadays, robots are present in most areas of our lives, but not in the dramatic ways imagined in fantastic comic books. A robot is not a sentient alien but simply an automatic machine designed to accomplish a certain task. Robots differ from other machines because they use the software installed to make decisions. Humanoid robotics set to develop robots that resemble humans is only a part of this dynamic field.

Robots manufacture cars, assist agriculture, and help spacecraft dock at stations. In fact, you are likely to have a working robot at home, as over 14 million households in the United States use robotic vacuum cleaners. Are you curious to know more about robotics's past, present, and future and how electrical cables contribute to this field? Read this blog.

A Brief History of Modern Robotics

Contemporary robots can carry out various tasks because they have input sensors, decision-making control systems, and grippers that control the output. These components go through a rigorous process while in development because they have to be effective.

While looking into the history of robotics, we have to examine how robots perform in the industrial setting because this is a field where robotics first advanced. 

The History Of Industrial and General Robotics

In 1961, General Motors installed the first-ever industrial robot on its production line. The robot in question was Unimate by Kawasaki. The robot was a large-sized arm on a magnetic drum that helped to weld hot metal. While this was a serious advancement, it had its issues because the robot was not programmable and had issues with flexibility.

The first programmable industrial robot was developed in 1973 by Swedish company ASEA under the name IRB 6. The robot with 16 kb of RAM was controlled by a microcomputer. 

The next challenge before industrial robotics was to develop robots with a vision to improve the efficiency of performed tasks. The vision in industrial robots was made available thanks to artificial intelligence, a field of study that allows robots to perform tasks associated with human intelligence. While the robots of the 1960s and 1970s were excellent at performing mathematical tasks, it was actually difficult to make them interact with the physical world. Despite these challenges, in 1969, NASA successfully used robotic technologies during the Moon landing.

In 1981, General Motors tested Consight, three industrial robots with vision. Since then, artificial intelligence has revolutionized industrial robotics. Modern industrial robots can complete very different manufacturing tasks and can be quickly programmed by personnel to do so.

Robotic mechanisms are the basis of self-driving cars, a field that is rapidly developing at the moment. The first successful test-drive of a self-driving car was performed by The Mercedes-Benz in 1986. While the technology continues to excel, it is already widely used in many developed countries. The first license for a self-driving car was obtained in Nevada in 2012.

The 21st century saw the boom of single-task household robots. One of the most popular among those is the robotic vacuum cleaner, which was first introduced to a mass audience in 2002 by iRobot.

In the military, The Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot (BEAR) is used for transporting supplies, carrying heavy objects, and carrying wounded soldiers from the battlefield. 

One of the robotic companies made popular by mainstream culture is Boston Dynamics, the company that develops highly mobile robots that resemble the movement and appearance of dogs. Currently, these robots are used by the police to inspect threats and analyze hazardous materials.

Robotic Trends For The 2020s

Here are the five trends of robotics to look forward to this decade:

1. Robotic Process Automation

Robots are increasingly used across businesses to replace humans in repetitive tasks that were previously performed manually. This allows humans to focus on tasks that are more varied. In healthcare, the mundane management of invoices, appointments, and inventory is increasingly delegated to robots. In an industry with high professional burnout, this helps to decrease the probability of negative consequences for patients and professionals alike.

2. Solving The Interoperability Issue

While robots are increasingly used in different fields, including manufacturing, e-commerce, residential applications, public service, and many others, their ability to interact with each other while performing tasks is limited. Solving the issue of interoperability while developing robots is one of the most challenging tasks of the 2020s.

3. The Rise of Delivery Robots

The market for delivery robots is expected to grow by 35 percent by the end of the next decade, mostly thanks to the retail industry. 

Right now, Amazon uses its home-produced Amazon Scout robot to deliver Amazon Prime packages in several cities across the United States. Starship Technologies uses food delivery robots on selected streets and college campuses in the United States and the United Kingdom. Delivery robots are also used for hospital deliveries in the United States and Israel. All of these submarkets are set to grow in the 2020s.

Which Special Cables Are Used In Robotics?

The robotic industry calls for special types of electrical cables called robotic cables. These are flexible and durable cables that are capable of surviving the high mechanical stress in the robotic industry. These cables have excellent tensile strength, as well as resistance to oils and industrial chemicals. Subtypes of robotic cables include control cables, motor cables, data cables, bus cables, measurement system cables, fiber optic cables, and various hybrid cables.