Robotics and artificial intelligence are offering innovations that were considered impossible.
FREMONT, CA: No one can predict the future, and the last few months of COVID-19 have confirmed it. Supply chain disruptions, company closures, and global shutdowns had sent the economy into a whirlwind when the pandemic first emerged. But even then, the situations during the pandemic did not work out as many people predicted.
Instead, the trend of the year was acceleration. Ecommerce grew by double digits, if not triple digits, which beyond all previous predictions. Healthcare technology, which had been struggling for years to gain momentum, became a hot topic, with telehealth, drug production, and remote monitoring abilities taking on a whole new meaning.
Robotics saw a surge in popularity as businesses of all sizes looked for innovative ways to evolve their workforce in a socially disconnected world. The adoption of Cloud computing and 5G have become a priority for enterprises that were forced to shift overnight to accommodate a work-from-home model, a move that several firms have confirmed is here to stay.
Healthcare
Healthcare advances fueled by AI and robotics are increasingly laying the groundwork for widespread access to affordable lifespan. Precision medicine eliminates the guesswork involved in matching a patient to a medication. For eldercare and patient care, robotics is rapidly becoming an invaluable assistant.
Virtual reality and augmented reality train physicians and surgeons, allowing experts hundreds of kilometers away to help with a critical operation. Medical imaging and diagnostics at a nanoscopic level are now possible due to sensors embedded in the human body. When the body parts are damaged or broken, 3D printing allows the doctors to create new ones. Artificial intelligence is being used to decrease the time it takes to produce a new drug from a decade to days.
Automation and Robotics Will Infiltrate Every Stage of the Supply Chain
The pandemic has altered the global supply chain and the perceptions and demands of logistics service purchasers. Pre-pandemic distribution robotics, also recognized as Personal Delivery Devices (PPDs), were already rising beyond warehouses.
The need for people to distance and the increasing demand for home delivery have increased robotics’ popularity. The concept of last-mile delivery also grew with the robotics pandemic. The delivery trucks would drive to a particular location and unleash a small group of robots, each of them headed to its assigned list of addresses to deliver goods.