Al, thanks for the clarification. I see what you mean. Since the research firm didn't divulge specific details of the study, it's not clear how they defined physical units of industrial robots.
DN's Cabe Atwell just wrote a blog about telepresence robots for home workers: http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1386&doc_id=257159 These are a good example of personal service robots based on a design platform very similar to some professional service robots: the medical telepresence robots used increasingly in hospitals, which DN's Elizabeth Montalbano wrote about here: http://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=249227
TJ, the study said that the sales figures/demand numbers for service robots are segmented primarily by who uses them, and only partially by nature of the machine. Obviously, those categories of machines can overlap considerably, just like other items used in both homes and offices, such as janitorial supplies (brooms, mops, buckets, etc.). The upshot is, no reason you can't use a Roomba in your office. In the other direction, I bought an $800 commercial dehumidifier for my humid, damp forest house because only the commercial models can take enough moisture out of the air, plus I knew it would last a long time.
Ann, A trend with industrial robots in use of robot mechanisms as part of the design of the machine, versus a standard configuration that stands alone. The robot mechanism themselves are designed as standard hardware to control multiple axes of motion. Now the trend is designing these mechanisms into line-oriented machines and even controlling them with standard line controllers including support for advanced kinematics (rather than a separate robot controller). This is not really related to the direction of this thread but is another example of how robots is finding new application areas -- especially in manufacturing.
I agree with TJ--the growth of many personal service robots is due in part to the baby boomer population bulge. I think the growth in professional service robots is a different story, and it's definitely one that's occurring and going to occur. China is much, much bigger than we are and they are investing in both types like gangbusters. I'll be posting a followup on this report soon.
Thanks, Cadman-LT. There are tons of service robots, in both professional and personal apps. Professional service bots include medical helpers of various kinds used by physicians or other medical personnel, as we detailed in two different medical robot slideshows (see links at the end of the article). Milking robots are also included there. For personal service bots, aside from vacuum cleaners there are medical helper bots used by patients or other non-professional uses. This slideshow on service bots focuses on profession types, but you can see the apps are pretty broad: http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1386&doc_id=257119
Thanks, Cadman-LT. There are tons of service robots, in both professional and personal apps. Professional service bots include medical helpers of various kinds used by physicians or other medical personnel, as we detailed in two different medical robot slideshows (see links at the end of the article). Milking robots are also included there. For personal service bots, aside from vacuum cleaners there are medical helper bots used by patients or other non-professional uses. This slideshow on service bots focuses on profession types, but you can see the apps are pretty broad: http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1386&doc_id=257119
Most service robots are designed for a task where they would normally work only a few hours a week- maybe an hour a day every day except weekends. So you are comparing the cost of ownership/maintenance of a robot against a few hours minimum wage, not full time employment. This is one reason why service robots won't take over in a hurry. Another reason is that while the cost of complex elecronics is rapidly falling, this represents at most 20% the overall cost - the rest is mechanics and plastics, and here raw material costs are rising. SO you will still find it cheaper to pay your neighbours teenage son to mow the lawn once a fortnight than to buy a robotic lawn mower. (assuming - not unreasonably - that they are equally intelligent)
This bit of news is definitely surprising; but then again, there has been a lot of innovation and investment in service robots as the need for less expensive labor, as well as general interest in new designs, grows. Perhaps this just means the industrial robot space, which is more mature, is due for a bit of flattening while the nascent service-robot market grows. I myself have watched with a bit of wonder at some of the new designs coming out in the latter and look forward to seeing more as this trend develops.
With LEDs dropping in price virtually every year, automakers have begun employing them, not only on luxury vehicles, but on entry-level models, as well.
The 3D printing revolution seems to have a knack for quickly moving technology ahead by way of collaborative effort and even a little friendly competition -- all of course in the name of scientific advancement.
Advantech has launched a new series of motion-control I/O modules to meet the increased demands that come with more distributed industrial systems that require control of a growing number of axes and devices.
Using almost 200 light-emitting diodes in the front and back of the new 2014 CTS, Cadillac designers are showing how LEDs can change the character of a vehicle.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
4 
