We will slowly be replaced by robots. Its use is becoming more widespread in the manufacturing sector but the year it began to enter industries that were once seen as only requiring human labor. What happened this year? This is a list of the 10 most interesting robotics technology news throughout 2022.
1. Animatronic skin puppets produced in Malaysia
Wayang kulit art is increasingly being forgotten because there is a more modern and interactive entertainment medium in Malaysia. The number of masterminds is also decreasing because it is difficult to find young backers. Aware of this fact, Ahnaf Hakimi, a graduate of Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Multimedia Instruction from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has developed Animatronic Skin Puppets.
Animatronic skin puppets were developed within a year by him at a cost of RM30,000. Servo and robotic systems are used instead of human Tok Dalang. The movements of puppet characters, which are also produced using 3D printing technology, are synchronized with the audio and lighting system on stage. The use of robots instead of artists is not an ideal solution but according to Ahnaf Hakimi, he hopes that it can attract young people to try it themselves after watching the animatronic version.
2. Robots Replace Convenience Store Workers In Japan
The use of robots in factories on a large scale was pioneered by Japan more than four decades ago. Manufacturing productivity continued to soar, allowing Japan to become the second most developed country in the world in just two generations. Robots as replacements for human tasks are usually for dangerous tasks but in Japan again this technology was pioneered for a new industry in convenience stores.
The RX SCARA robot offered by Telexistence can sort bottles as well as canned water, at a rate of around 1000 units per day. One of the leading convenience stores, Family Mart will also use this technology in their stores in a pilot test. With the shortage of human labor, we may continue to see robots gradually replace a number of repetitive tasks, thereby reducing operating costs
3. PETRONAS Uses Robots in O&G Facilities
If Japan uses robots in convenience stores, Malaysia uses robots in petroleum and gas (O&G) facilities. PETRONAS Technology Ventures Sdn Bhd (PTVSB) announced a collaboration with Waygate Technologies Robotics AG (WTR) to commercialize inspection robots for O&G needs.
Robots based on the BIKE robot system developed by WTR improve data management and inspection of hard-to-access areas in offshore and onshore O&G facilities. Among the technologies used are cleaning capabilities, additional ultrasonic systems and eddy current inspections. Under this commercial agreement, PETRONAS will use BIKE robots in their facilities while WTR will offer comprehensive training and support services.
4. Tesla And Xiaomi Develop Humanoid Robots
Xiaomi dabbled in the world of robotics by producing the Cyberdog last year. This year they came up with the CyberOne robot which is shaped like a human. CyberOne is able to walk on its own and can have conversations with humans just like CyberDog. The technology used on the CyberOne became a stepping stone to the technology that would later be used on Xiaomi's flagship phones and electric vehicles in the future.
Tesla then showed the Tesla Bot last October with the aim of using it in factories. A demo of the Tesla Bot lifting boxes was shown but strangely at the launch event this humanoid robot was not able to run as smoothly as the CyberOne. Elon Musk has not given a date for its official introduction for now but it might sell for $20,000 each.
5. Kuala Lumpur Hospital Provides Surgical Services Using Robot Technology
PETRONAS is not the only company using robots in new situations in Malaysia. Hospital Kuala Lumpur started using Robotic Surgery Assisted (ROSA) technology for knee and hip joint replacement surgery for patients.
Surgery using this robot has been implemented since last July 2022, and a total of 21 patients with osteoarthritis problems have gone through this knee and hip joint replacement surgery. The use of robot technology is said to provide up to 98% accuracy compared to before, of which only around 95% use computer navigation systems.
6. Saudi Arabia Produces Robots That Can Deliver Sermons And Azan
Five years ago we reported that Pepper robots were being used in Japan to replace priests who read prayers at funerals. Many feel that its use is inappropriate because the last journey of the deceased should be accompanied by the prayers of human priests.
This year a robot was introduced in Saudi Arabia that can read the Quran, give orders, read sermons and call to prayer through imams and muezzins. Full information related to it is not known whether it will store a number of recordings, or whether it will work as a portable speaker to the congregation. Robotics and automation technology began to be used in Masjid al-Haram as a modernization step to prove that modern technology is in line with religious requirements.
7. Robot With Living Human Skin Developed in Japan
In the fictional works Ghost in The Shell, Blade Runner and Aline, androids are difficult to distinguish from humans. But fiction is now getting closer to fact after researchers from the University of Tokyo succeeded in producing a robot with living human skin.
A team from the University of Tokyo produced fingers for a robot. The outside of this finger is then covered with living skin grown from real human skin cells. When the robot's finger is flexed, this lab-made skin moves like the skin on a real human finger. If this skin is torn, a layer of collagen can be used to patch it up like living skin.
But robots with human skin are still not ready to become a reality because this lab-made skin needs a constant supply of nutrients to live. Scientists from the University of Nokia will now try to give it nails, nerves and hair follicles so that it can resemble real human skin.
8. Eksorangka Atalante X Enables Paralyzed Individuals to Walk Again
In The Avengers movie, Colonel James Rhodes is paralyzed after being shot by Vision. Tony Stark built an exoskeleton at the waist to enable Rhodes to walk again. AtalanteX an exoskeleton developed by the French firm Wanderfraft provides the same capabilities in the real world.
Paralyzed individuals wear the Atalante X by strapping it to the chest, thigh and calf. With the help of 12 electric motors, the user's movement will be assisted to reduce the load. It makes full use of a removable battery pack for faster charging. Atalante X is currently being tested in 10 rehabilitation centers with 286 patients already trying it to restore mobility or help them learn to walk again after an accident.
9. Dyson Is Developing Robots For Indoor Use
Dyson is ready to develop a number of electronic devices that integrate some basic robotics technology. Last May, Dyson officially said they are ready to enter the robotics arena, and are developing robots to be used to help with household tasks.
Dyson showed how it can interact, including picking up items, placing items, making deliveries, in addition to being equipped with a number of sensors to identify the environment. The company is hiring a large number of engineers in the development of this robotics with a research and development laboratory in Johor.
10. Pandemic Drives Robot Adoption in Factories With 2021 Posting Highest Installations
According to the latest report of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the year 2021 recorded the highest number of industrial robot installations in history with the addition of 517,000 units compared to 394,000 units in 2020.
In total there are now 3.5 million industrial robots used in the manufacturing sector which is also the highest number in history. In just six years, the number of industrial robot installations has doubled.
The Asian continent accounted for 74% of all robot installations in 2021 with the majority taking place in China – which should come as no surprise as the pandemic shows how when workers are quarantined en masse factory production is severely affected. This is a problem that does not occur with robot workers.