According to data released Thursday by the trade group International Federation of Robotics, a half-million industrial robots were installed globally last year—an all-time high exceeding the previous record, set in 2018, by 22%. Even more, than we do now, in the future, we will depend on robots to grow our food, make our goods, care for our elderly and continue to grow the global economy, predict researchers, economists, engineers, and business leaders.
Elon Musk tweeted in 2018 that “humans are underrated” and that excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake. Now that he runs a much bigger company during labor shortfalls, he has jumped on the autonomously driven bandwagon with gusto.
The “service” robot industry, which encompasses every kind of robot that isn’t bolted to the floor, is also increasing and shows signs that it could soon eclipse traditional industrial robots in the rate of growth in annual sales.