The era of humanoid robots in industrial production is approaching rapidly, with serial production expected to commence as early as 2025. These robots, designed to resemble humans, are already being utilized in the automotive industry as part of a pilot project, signaling a significant shift in how industrial companies may operate in the near future.
According to a market analysis titled “Humanoid Robots in Operations” by the consulting firm Horváth, the rapid pace of technological advancement suggests that by 2030, humanoid robots will have evolved to a point where they can effectively address labor shortages in production environments. The analysis predicts that improvements in these robots will focus on speed of movement, flexibility, and increasingly refined motor skills.
Traditionally, industries have relied on articulated robots for tasks such as welding, painting, and assembly. Collaborative robots have also been employed for functions like product quality control. However, the introduction of humanoid robots is expected to revolutionize these processes, allowing for more complex and versatile applications.
“Our analysis showed that in the near future, humanoid robots have the potential to take over more than 50% of primarily manual tasks in a manufacturing environment,” stated Maria Boldor from Horváth. She emphasized that by integrating these robots into production lines, industries could alleviate the ongoing issue of worker shortages for repetitive and physically demanding jobs, thereby helping to relieve workers from such tasks.
As humanoid robots continue to develop, their implementation could drastically change the landscape of industrial production, offering solutions to some of the most persistent challenges faced by the manufacturing sector today.
