Helping hands: how cobots are closing the productivity gap

Manufacturing has had a tough time of it over the last couple of years. Not one sub-sector of engineering won’t have felt the strain of Covid-19, or the issues thrown into the mix by Brexit — from global supply chain shortages to a lack of skilled workers, navigating these challenges against the added backdrop of growing climate concerns has proved overwhelming for many, across industries from aerospace to healthcare.

The envisioned ‘Factory of the Future’ concept, utilising smart technologies such as artificial intelligence, IoT and 3D printing, looks toward a revolutionised manufacturing industry with seamless connectivity and increased productivity among the benefits. Sustainability is also a key driver of innovation in the area, calling for response to the rising demand for low-carbon, climate-friendly tech.

Amongst these technologies lie collaborative robots, or ‘cobots’, which are becoming more and more widely utilised in engineering. Designed to work alongside humans, they could provide a welcome helping hand for the undesirably time-consuming, repetitive tasks involved in many manufacturing processes.