A recent analysis finds the Cloud to be the future of the robotics industry, with implications in a handful of others as Cloud robotics rises in popularity.
Integrating Cloud computing technology into robots allows users to augment their capabilities through the Internet, resulting in higher production and efficiency. The Cloud integration also provides robots with new ways of interacting with each other.
The concept behind Cloud computing in automated machines isn’t new, look at Google’s autonomous car.
But the benefits of Cloud integration with robots are many, notes Ken Goldberg, professor at UC Berkely. Goldberg points out the following perks to using the Cloud:
1) “Big Data: access to updated libraries of images, maps, and object/product data,
2) Cloud Computing: access to parallel grid computing on demand for statistical analysis, learning and motion planning,
3) Collective Learning: robots and systems sharing trajectories, control policies and outcomes and
4) Human Computation: use of crowdsourcing to tap human skills for analyzing images and video, classification, learning and error recovery. The Cloud can also provide access to:
a) Datasets, publications, models, benchmarks and simulation tools,
b) Open competitions for designs and systems and
c) Open-source software.”
Could robots powered by the Cloud give rise to a consumer robot marketplace?
Cloud computing itself is already common with smart phones and tablets so it's no surprise it's popping up in the rapidly growing robotics industry.
Who wouldn’t want to control their “Maid-Bot 9000” from their iPad, uploading a list of chores to the Cloud for it to perform while you’re away at work?
A major obstacle however, is Cloud robotics high dependence on a strong Internet connection for processing functions.
A bad Internet connection may mean poor efficiency, but there are solutions.
"The convergence of Cloud robotics with big data, context-aware computing and high-speed ubiquitous wireless networks, along with the use of advanced wireless sensors, could solve connectivity issues that slow response times," said Mousumi Dasgupta, Technical Insights researcher analyst with Frost and Sullivan and author of the Innovations in Cloud Robotics report.
“Operations that require the execution of tasks in real-time will also need service-oriented robots with on-board processing capabilities."
The implications behind Cloud robotics reaches across both consumer and commercial spheres.
In factory settings, cloud robots will consume less power yet provide greater computing efficiency, reducing manufacturing costs requiring less hardware.
The healthcare and transportation industries are also prime targets to feel the effects of Cloud robotics says Debarun Guha Thakurta, Technical Insights research analyst.
Dasgupta’s report analyzes year of impact, market potential, global footprint, IP intensity, funding, breadth of industries, megatrend impact, potential points of convergence and size of the innovation ecosystem with regard to Cloud robotics. This includes detailed technology analysis and industry trends, evaluated after interviews with market participants.
What do you think about the future of robotics? Is Cloud technology what the robotics industry needs to hit mainstream public markets?
Read the report at Frost.com and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.