Robotics continues to advance in Spanish companies, although its adoption still faces various obstacles. This is revealed by the latest report on industrial robotics from reichelt elektronik, one of the most relevant online distributors of electronics and information technology in Europe.
Cost continues to be the main barrier, indicated by 41% of companies, while integration is another of the main challenges. In fact, 1 in 4 companies say they have difficulty integrating robots into their current systems.
Added to these obstacles is the difficulty of choosing the most appropriate solution. 23% of companies do not know which robot or brand to choose, and another 23% do not know when they will recover the investment, two brakes that point more to a lack of information and support than to a lack of real interest. Concerns related to security (25%) and bureaucracy linked to ISO standards and other regulations (21%) complete a picture in which the obstacles are both economic and practical and regulatory.
More accessible and versatile solutions
While companies face these challenges, technology does not stand still. Improving sensor technology for environmental recognition leads the drivers of industry evolution (38%), followed by AI to enable robots to perform more complex tasks (34%) and more powerful software (31%).
This evolution is also opening the door to more accessible and versatile solutions. 20% of companies consider that the emergence of smaller and more flexible robots, such as robotic arms and quadrupeds, has been one of the most beneficial advances, while 15% highlight the availability of models in more affordable price ranges.
Humanoid robotics are considered the next stage of industrial automation. With human-like appearance, advanced sensors and artificial intelligence, robots can perform complex tasks autonomously and flexibly adapt to new needs. Therefore, they stand out for their greater autonomy, precision, reliability and speed, and are increasingly suitable for working directly with people.
Robots that perceive, learn and coordinate
Technological evolution points towards increasingly autonomous robots, capable of understanding their environment and adapting their behavior accordingly. The capabilities that generate the most expectations are the improvement in the perception of the environment (29%) and the use of artificial intelligence to optimize energy consumption and reduce wear and tear (27%).
Added to these are coordination between robots and fleet management (26%) and multi-agent systems to execute complex operations collaboratively (23%). Other technologies such as trajectory planning using AI, cloud-based robotics and edge computing or reinforcement learning, through which robots learn from human movements or simulations, complete an increasingly sophisticated ecosystem.
Humanoid robotics considered the next stage of industrial automation
All of them point in the same direction, that of robots that not only execute specific tasks, but are also capable of perceiving their environment, making decisions and coordinating with other systems to operate in an increasingly autonomous and intelligent way.
Logistics, the great field of application
This evolution is already translating into concrete applications. Mobile robots are gaining ground in different areas, especially in logistics and industrial operations. The transportation of materials between warehouse, production and assembly is its main application (58%), followed by order preparation (33%) and inventory control using RFID or artificial vision (29%). Beyond these tasks, they are also used for waste removal (21%), surveillance and security (18%), UV light disinfection (17%) and cleaning (16%).
In short, while robotics expands its capabilities, companies face a new phase in which they no longer ask whether to incorporate robots, but rather what solution they need, how to integrate it and how to ensure that it adds real value to their operations.
