Robots in the medical arena
1 August 2020
Editor's Choice
The Coronavirus outbreak has highlighted use cases for mobile robotics to successfully disinfect, monitor, surveil and handle and deliver materials. These proven use cases will propel the overall mobile robotics market to $23 billion by 2021, states global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research.
“Crises shift perceptions on what is possible regarding investment and transformative action on the part of both private and government actors. By the time the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, robots will be mainstreamed across a range of applications and markets,” says Rian Whitton, senior analyst at ABI Research.
The virus has been a good opportunity for companies to display robots for public applications. One of the more popular has been deploying mobile unmanned platforms with UV light to disinfect facilities. Danish company UVD Robots is reaping the benefits of this opportunity and is scaling up deployments of robots to disinfect hospitals. US-based Germ Falcon is offering a similar UV disinfection solution for aircraft, while Chinese TMiRob is deploying disinfection robots in Wuhan. “Automating disinfection is a key part of maintaining health and safety and could be one of the major bright spots in the response to COVID-19,” Whitton points out.
Drones have also been deployed to enforce curfews and surveil areas for security purposes. This represents a big opportunity for aerospace and drone companies to increase sales to government agencies. ABI Research expects the small drone delivery market to reach $414 million by 2021 and $10.4 billion by 2030.
In the short term, to enforce quarantine mandates, governments will need to increase their security apparatuses, as well as the productivity of their medical agencies. Robots will be key to achieving that through disinfection, monitoring and surveillance. Furthermore, the shutting down of households and even ships represents a chance for robot delivery companies (for both land and air) to display their worth. The drone delivery market could take its experience with transporting supplies in the developing world and scale up their operations in the most affected countries.
Long-term, COVID-19 is leading to a significant reassessment of the global manufacturing supply chain. America’s dependence on Chinese imports for basic equipment and medicines is becoming a contentious issue and government representatives are already interpreting the crisis as a chance to revitalise the campaign to reshore more manufacturing capacity to the domestic market. If this translates into more significant measures by governments to diversify or reshore the manufacturing of key goods, this could bode very well for the robotics industry, as such changes would require big increases in capex and productivity improvements within developed countries.
COVID-19 represents a disaster for robotics vendors building solutions for developed markets in manufacturing, industry and the supply chain. But for vendors targeting markets closer to government, such as health, security and defence, it represents a big opportunity. Whitton recommends that “industrial players develop customised solutions for non-manufacturing use cases or look to build comprehensive solutions for enabling a scale-up in medical supply manufacturing. For mobile robotics vendors and software companies targeting more nascent markets, this represents a big chance to highlight the importance of robotics for dealing with national emergencies, as well as mitigating the economic shock.”
Further reading:
Compressed air treatment do’s and don’ts
Artic Driers International
Editor's Choice Pneumatic systems & components
As a long-established importer and manufacturer of air dryers, Artic Dryers often sees the results of poor installation and issues with aftercoolers that create serious problems in air drying systems.
Read more...
Process control system for the entire plant lifecycle
Siemens South Africa
Editor's Choice
The automation of process plants has been characterised by IT silos for a long time. The high level of IT security required was achieved through strict isolation from the outside world. However, this made unlocking the opportunities for digitalisation very difficult. This is a compelling reason to opt for Simatic PCS neo – Siemens’s completely web-based process control system with state-of-the-art IT security concepts.
Read more...
Celebrating 65 years: rebuilding and redefining its legacy
Axiom Hydraulics
Editor's Choice News & events
Founded in 1959 by Neill Simpson, Axiom Hydraulics has grown into one of South Africa’s elite hydraulic companies. Over the past six and a half decades they’ve weathered many challenges, but none as devastating as the fire of 2023.
Read more...
Monitoring the health of systems
SA Gauge
Editor's Choice Shaft power components
Pressure and temperature gauges are vital instruments in various industries. However, they are susceptible to failures that can compromise their accuracy and reliability. When these gauges fail, the consequences can be severe.
Read more...
PC-based control for advanced hydrogen storage technology
Beckhoff Automation
Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The proportion of renewable energies from solar, wind and water is rising continuously. However, sufficient storage options are of the essence to use these energies as efficiently as possible. GKN Hydrogen offers a particularly compact and safe option, low-pressure metal hydride hydrogen storage systems with PC-based control from Beckhoff.
Read more...
Axiom reaches new heights
Axiom Hydraulics
Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
When Rula Bulk Handling could not source a cable tensioner large enough for a new cableway, the engineers knew they had to come up with an inventive solution. After discovering that no such tensioner was immediately available, Rula approached Axiom Hydraulics and ifm to assist with building their own.
Read more...
At least 60 million strokes
Horne Technologies
Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Designing and constructing compact automation systems is one of the core activities of the Austrian machine manufacturer, STIWA. Its modular LTM-CI system has been optimised for small parts assembly. Linear and rotating micromotors from Faulhaber perform key tasks in these systems.
Read more...
Pushing technological boundaries with Festo Electric Automation solutions
Festo South Africa
Editor's Choice
In the ever-evolving landscape of Industrial Automation, Festo Electric Automation solutions are at the forefront of a revolution, fundamentally reshaping production paradigms. As a global leader in automation, Festo focuses on intelligent connectivity to reduce costs, save time, and increase efficiency and convenience for customers.
Read more...
Perfect balance for every race
Horne Technologies
Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
It goes without saying that success in Formula 1 requires a top driver. However, their chance of achieving a place on the podium depends on the car, which in turn depends on three essential factors: engine, tyres and aerodynamics. To find the optimum balance, the racing teams test models of their bolides in the wind tunnel. At Sauber, the adjustable components are moved on the model and in the test chamber using FAULHABER motors.
Read more...
MeerKAT radio telescope array
Editor's Choice News & events
Leading consulting engineering and infrastructure advisory practice, Zutari is continuing its involvement with the world-leading MeerKAT radio telescope array, where it has played a leading role since the project first broke ground.
Read more...
printer friendly version