AsianScientist (Oct. 29, 2016) – By Oliver Tian – According to the International Federation of Robotics Statistical Analysis, the global robotics industry is projected to grow from US$20 billion today to US$80 billion by 2025.
China, already the global leader in the robotics sales market, is targeting to achieve a robot density of 150 industrial robots per 10,000 workers by 2020. Not to be outdone, Japan has plans to triple its spending on intelligent machines to 2.4 trillion yen by 2020.
Against the backdrop of a tightening labor market and rising manpower costs, adopting robotic technology could boost productivity while strengthening competitiveness and generating growth at the same time, thus helping to retain staff. Robotics is also one of the pillars of Singapore’s future economy, with strong government support in the form of the National Robotics Program.
Robotics on the cloud
But when planning to deploy robotic applications, we need to think about how each application can be quickly assimilated into our existing work systems, and at what scale. The best way to do this is to choose technology and business partners that have flexibility and scalability built into their offerings, so that when the time comes, you can seamlessly expand into new markets as necessary.
One key consideration for enabling robotic systems is cloud computing. Like the human brain, the cloud receives signals from sensors and actuators which are analogous to the limbs of the body. In turn, the limb nodes receive instructions from the ‘brain’ to take action.
Like reflex nerves, however, some robotic touch points may have embedded logic to respond instantaneously, bypassing the cloud. Such local processing is a reflexive action rather than an analytical response to a trigger or change in status. Some degree of short-term memory and local processing power can be located in the robot itself for these ‘unthinking reactions,’ but context and long-term memory are ultimately provided by the cloud. Such a design provides continued functionality in the event of temporary disconnection with the cloud.
Advanced artificial intelligence needs massive back-end computing power and memory management to support the decision making needed for robotic perception. The more ‘powerful’ the robot (in terms of decision making and processing), the more powerful the back office will need to be. In other words, increasing robotic sophistication increases the potential to offload compute-intensive tasks like image processing, voice recognition, data comparison and analytics with high latency decision making, to the cloud.
The challenge of communication
Whilst the processing capability of the cloud is important, what makes robot applications unique is the potential of the cloud to both mess-up and make sense of the robot’s context based on the huge volume of data collected. Upon smart filtering and analysis, this tacit intelligence can complement other continuous inputs coming from the robot’s own sensors. Furthermore, centralized processing will also enable multiple robots to be made aware of information, resulting in extended synchronization.
Sometimes referred to as the ‘hive mind,’ this architecture will not only be able to process disparate data, but also be able to store huge amounts of information, securely and in an organized way. As such, certain key robotic functions could be made available as a service on-demand. These on-demand robotic functions will drive more and more advanced robotic processing capability.
Just as humans try to work together in teams, robots generally also need figure out how to operate in tandem. Questions that arise include how robots will communicate with the ‘brain’ in the first place, and how they will then translate that intelligence to other robots and their human counterparts. This communication will require some kind of mediator. However, not all companies seeking to implement robotics solutions have a firm understanding of these underlying challenges.
Today, businesses in every industry around the world are demonstrating that robotics is more than just hype. Your company could be the next to unlock new profitable business models, foster innovation and create amazing new experiences for your customers—as long as you approach robotic applications with an open mind and a clear understanding of its potential for your business!
All these and more will be discussed at the upcoming inaugural edition of the Singapore International Robo Expo, a conference and exhibition co-organised by the Singapore Industrial Automation Association (SIAA) and Experia Events. The event will be held from November 1-2, 2016, at the Marina Bay Sands Convention and Exhibition Centre in Singapore.
Mr Oliver Tian is the president of SIAA and the CEO and director of HutCabb Services. SIAA drives Automation, IoT, and Robotics (AIR), with robotics as one of the key pillars in our charter. The association has embarked on this robotic journey to bring automation to a different level and we believe the assimilation of man and machine functions can be a potent force to be reckoned with.
Asian Scientist Magazine is a media partner of the Singapore International Robo Expo.
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Source: Singapore International Robo Expo.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
