On the road to success

When it comes to the use of the latest technology, the automotive sector has always been at the forefront of adoption and innovation. Charlotte Stonestreet highlights some of the latest developments, from the use of cobots to augment reality.

A recent report from Global Market Insights finds that the Automotive Robotics Market size crossed USD 4 billion in 2016 and is poised to grow by over 3.8% between 2017 and 2024, with global sector demand surpassing 210,000 units by 2024.

Manufacturers are adopting the technology for several reasons such as capacity, safety, and quality. It helps in minimising the waste caused by human errors leading to the lesser variability in vehicle assembly. Auto makers are striving to maintain consistent time and control processes in each stage of the assembly line.

For the workforce, many vehicle manufacturing processes include insidious tasks which can eventually lead to musculoskeletal disorders resulting from twisting, lifting, and repetitive movements – an issue that can be eased by implying robots. Further human risk factors from exposure to welding and paint fumes can also be mitigated with robot use, which will augment the global automotive robotics market share.

The report does however identify that high installation costs will hamper the overall market revenue, while uncertainty related to stored data from the product will restrict the industry as information contained in databases can lead to unlawful access or misuse. Moreover, rising unemployment due to automation will act as a restraint to the industry size.