Christopher Thrasher, engineering welding technician, A.O. Smith Corporation, Johnson City, Tenn., appreciates the value of having an AGV helping with heavy lifting.

The View from the Frontline: Separating Robotics Hype from Reality

July 15, 2024

Workers on the ground should have a say in introducing new technologies, such as autonomous robots.

Trade shows are a veritable stomping ground for technology editors searching for ideas, evaluations and analysis about the latest advances and products. Beyond the coverage of innovation, gadgets and robot workforces, we come away with vital perspectives from vendors and conference speakers.

But a chance encounter with a conference attendee had me reconsidering my usual sources and where they come from.

I met Christopher Thrasher, a delegate attending Automate 2024, as I was leaving a coffee shop and making my way to the bus stop. Waiting in line, Thrasher informed me that we had just missed the conference shuttle.

We struck up a conversation. He explained that he was an engineering technician who programs robots to weld the tanks for water heaters. This was his first trade show.

“What are your impressions so far?” I asked.

“Those AGVs are pretty cool,” Thrasher said. “We’re talking about automating our forklift operation. So, that would save a lot of time right there, by just loading the metal for us at the stacks, anywhere from two to three times. Some of those AGVs can do what we want them to do. Our metal stacking process is a rather easy process, and an automated vehicle could do it.”

His team has a lot of downtime waiting on an operator to return from other operations, and he reckoned that having an AGV forklift queued to de-stack and restack sheets of metal would make a big difference.

Thrasher’s employer, A.O. Smith Corporation, will need to make the cost-benefit analysis, but his level of excitement and commitment to finding cost-savings and making gains in productivity shouldn’t be lost to decision-makers.

How Robotics Applications Will Evolve Over Time

Many organizations are already deploying mobile robots and will expand their fleets in the next three years. According to Gartner research, more than 75% of companies will have adopted some form of cyber-physical automation within their warehouse operations by 2027.

Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Mobile Robots and Drones estimated that smart robots (AI-powered mobile machines designed to autonomously execute one or more physical tasks) are nearing the “peak of inflated expectations,” where early publicity produces success stories, but expectations rise above the current reality of what can be achieved.

Smart robots are about five to 10 years away from reaching the “plateau of productivity,” that is, mainstream adoption or when the technology’s broad market applicability and relevance are clearly paying off, noted Gartner’s analysts. Swarming robots, light-cargo delivery drones, in-aisle cobot pickers, autonomous mobile robots (transportation), mobile robotic goods-to-person systems and robotic cube storage systems are about two to five years away from reaching the plateau.

End-user Perspectives Make a Difference

Research, in many cases, responds to challenges by developing adoption frameworks from the decision-maker’s perspective. This is helpful, of course, but by themselves they are incomplete. What’s missing is a boots-on-the-ground perspective, which will ensure technology introductions are designed in a long-term, human-centric and effective way. A World Economic Forum report, which gathered sentiments on end-user involvement in technology introduction, corroborates this view. When employers explain the rationale behind technological change, workers are more receptive to the change.

And, as the robotics package in the July/August issue exuberantly illustrates, most robotics and automation solutions tend to be designed to solve repetitive and menial tasks, particularly in material handling and assembly.

For Thrasher, who is augmenting his associate’s degree in electrical engineering technologies with a bachelor’s degree in mechatronics engineering, welders are a “different breed.”

“Whenever plants replace a welder, they don’t necessarily realize plants still must have somebody there with that robot,” he said. “We train individuals to operate robots. So, a lot of times they think it has taken their job. But really, they’ll be trained for another skill set that is useful. Automation is where it’s at.”

Let me know what you think. Reach me at [email protected].

Editor’s Note: Machine Design’s WISE (Workers in Science and Engineering) hub compiles our coverage of workplace issues affecting the engineering field, in addition to contributions from equity seeking groups and subject matter experts within various subdisciplines.

About the Author

Rehana Begg | Editor-in-Chief, Machine Design

As Machine Design’s content lead, Rehana Begg is tasked with elevating the voice of the design and multi-disciplinary engineer in the face of digital transformation and engineering innovation. Begg has more than 24 years of editorial experience and has spent the past decade in the trenches of industrial manufacturing, focusing on new technologies, manufacturing innovation and business. Her B2B career has taken her from corporate boardrooms to plant floors and underground mining stopes, covering everything from automation & IIoT, robotics, mechanical design and additive manufacturing to plant operations, maintenance, reliability and continuous improvement. Begg holds an MBA, a Master of Journalism degree, and a BA (Hons.) in Political Science. She is committed to lifelong learning and feeds her passion for innovation in publishing, transparent science and clear communication by attending relevant conferences and seminars/workshops.

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