Nearly 100 years have passed since the word “robot” was used for the first time in a play called R.U.R., short for Rossum’s Universal Robots. R.U.R. was about mechanical men that are built to work on factory assembly lines. Tired of poor treatment at the hands of humans, they eventually revolt. Countless Hollywood movies have adapted this same script, portraying evil robots and artificial beings.

Robots are no longer just the workhouses of factory floors. Rather, their roles have expanded to those of personal assistants, autonomous vehicles, delivery vehicles, drones, and pocket-sized electronics. They play an integral role in organizations’ pursuit of digital transformation initiatives, which have only accelerated following the COVID-19 outbreak.

As McKinsey noted in a recent report, “the COVID-19 crisis has brought about years of change in the way companies in all sectors and regions do business.”

The Booming and Evolving Robotics Market

The robotics market is growing rapidly largely because of the widespread need and demand for automation technologies. Automation allows both organizations and individuals to eliminate time-consuming manual tasks. For businesses, this means boosting employee productivity while reducing costs and increasing compliance. For individuals, robotics allows them to automate mundane household chores like vacuuming so that they can also be more productive and find greater satisfaction in doing the things that they enjoy.

As a whole, the global robotics technology market size was valued at some $62.75 billion in 2019. The market is projected to grow to an astounding $189.36 billion by 2027. Many factors are contributing to the widespread adoption of robotics. Industrial robots have not only become larger and can handle heavier loads, but they also feature more axes and require fewer controllers, as in some cases, more than 30 axes can be synchronized by one controller.

Robotics help organizations reduce their operational costs and remain competitive, while advancements in computing power, software, and networking technologies have made assembling, installing, and maintain robotics technology easier and more scalable than ever before. As well, lower production costs and technological innovations have led to significant decreases in prices.

Another important factor fueling the rapid growth of the global robotics market is that the technologies intersect with nearly every major industry. For example the global autonomous car market is projected to grow to $3,195 billion in 2030. As of January 2021, there were 1,782,479 drones registered in the U.S. with sales exceeding $1.25 billion in 2020. For industries such as agriculture, drones play a key role in eliminating labor-intensive processes such as harvesting, weed control, picking, sorting, seeding, and packing. The agricultural drones market is expected to reach $6.2 billion in 2024. In addition, according to an International Federation of Robotics report, unit sales of household robots are expected to increase by 46% on average per year, with more than 55 million units being sold in 2022, and global spending on military robotics will reach an estimated $16.5 billion in 2025. Collaborative robots, those designed to work alongside humans, will constitute 34% of all robot sales by 2025 and have a market size that will exceed $24 billion by 2030. Amazon reportedly saves as much as $22 million with cobots for each new warehouse that they open. And, due to COVID-19, the life science and pharmaceutical industry had to transform its operations to accommodate social distancing and the need for rapid treatment and test results. As a result, the industry experienced a 70% year-on-year growth.

To fully appreciate these industry-specific robotics market trends, it is useful to mention several use cases, such as Autonomous Vehicles, Inventory and Order Fulfillment, Household Robots, and more.

How Manufacturers are Overcoming Challenges with Single Board Computers

A single board computer (SBC) is a complete computer built on a single circuit board. SBCs include microprocessor(s), chipset(s), memory, input/output, power input built on the board, and other features included within a standard functional computer. Advantech Embedded Single Board Computers (SBC) series include: 2.5″ Pico-ITX, 3.5″ SBC, PC/104, EBX and 5.25” SBC, PCM, and MI/O extension form factors. Embedded Single Board Computers (SBC) are designed with rugged solutions, high flexibility, software integration and easy expansion capabilities for industrial applications.

SBCs offer robotics manufacturers many benefits.

Low Power

SBCs are highly efficient and offer longer operating times when running on a battery. This makes them ideal for many products ranging from household electronics to industrial manufacturing devices.

More Reliable Performance

The simplistic and unchangeable structure of an SBC results in fewer conflicts and performance issues can that contribute to downtime. They are also self-contained and more vibration resilient, making them an ideal choice for harsh environmental conditions.

Their superior performance is why SBCs are utilized for technologies requiring a high level of reliability, such as traffic light controllers and anti-lock braking systems.

Small and Flexible

SBCs are small. This allows them to be embedded in devices with limited space. With more and more consumers demanding smaller electronics, SBCs are an ideal and scalable solution. For example, consider a scenario where weight and size are of extreme importance, such as a drone. Lower power usage also allows for a lower thermal solution which contributes to a smaller overall solution size.

Easily Add a “Brain” to a System

SBCs simplify the process of adding a brain to a system. This allows manufacturers to focus on how a robot will perform its tasks. Specialized robots are often made in low qualities. Creating a new board for each iteration is often not cost-effective. With an SBC, manufacturers can use the same computer across multiple designs and can upgrade the brain of the system to accommodate more powerful hardware.

Cost Savings

SBCs are likely to be more cost-effective due to a smaller feature set that applies to a broad range of applications. The increased demand for SBCs has led to spikes in production. The increased supply has contributed to lower prices.

Easier Implementation

SBCs allow you to develop code directly on the board. This is due to the microprocessor, memory, built-in peripherals, and operating system being built on a single board.

Use an SBC as a Controller

Using a SBC allows you to eliminate the expense of designing, prototyping, testing, and producing an embedded controller. SBCs also have the added benefit of containing the required power regulation circuitry.

Looking Ahead

Single board computers are complete computers built on a single circuit board. They offer all the features of standard functional computers but with many added benefits. SBCs are energy efficient, easy to implement, cost-effective, more reliable in harsh environments, ideal for use in products with limited space, simplify the process of adding a brain to a system, and eliminate the costs of designing, prototyping, testing, and producing an embedded controller. For these reasons, SBCs will play an instrumental role in helping industrial manufacturers to overcome the challenges that they are facing.

Advantech is a global leader in the fields of IoT intelligent systems and embedded platforms. The company offers a broad selection of powerful and cost-effective single board computers as well as IoT hardware and software solutions. Advantech is dedicated to working with our business partners to co-create business ecosystems that accelerate the goal of industrial intelligence.

To learn more about Advantech’s innovative single board computers and solutions, contact us today.