Collaborative Robots

Building and maintaining a fully robotic manufacturing facility is not nearly as far-fetched as it sounds, thanks to the emergence of a host of new and affordable technologies that enable robots to function as networks rather than as independent machines. Smart sensors, artificial intelligence and advanced mechanical features are now allowing robots to work together in much the same way humans do, with different machines each performing specific tasks, rather than one robot performing all of the process steps.

One industry that has benefitted greatly from these recent developments is garment manufacturing. Until recently, humans provided the best way to isolate the inevitable variations in color, stretch and weave of soft textiles and adjust their processes accordingly. Today, machine learning enables robots (dubbed Sewbots) to perform many of the same tasks.

All of this translates into cost savings for manufacturers as well as consumers. For example, a single Sewbot assembly line can produce 1,142 T-shirts in eight hours. That’s the equivalent to the work of 17 humans. In addition, cost-saving robots could bring production back to the United States, saving on shipping costs and foreign taxes. And while automated factories will undoubtedly eliminate manufacturing jobs, new technology generally creates new jobs to meet changing business needs.