Gartner Inc. last week said it expects robotic technologies for supply chains to mature in the next two to five years. This will result in an accelerating market for increasingly capable mobile robots and drones, said the consultancy.
Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner’s “Hype Cycle for Mobile Robots and Drones” is a graphical depiction of a common pattern that arises with each new technology or other innovation through five phases of maturity and adoption. The company said chief supply chain officers can use this research to find systems that meet their needs.
“As organizations look to further improve logistic operations, support automation, and augment humans in various jobs, supply chain leaders have turned to mobile robots to support their strategy,” stated Dwight Klappich, vice president, analyst, and Gartner Fellow with the Gartner Supply Chain practice.
“Mobile robots are continuing to evolve, becoming more powerful and practical, thus paving the way for continued technology innovation,” he added.
Robots move past the ‘Trough of Disillusionment’
Gartner’s hype cycle shows that expectations rise quickly for most new technologies. When a new technology hits the market, everyone wants to push the limits of what that technology could do.
As time passes, however, and the industry realizes the limitations of a new technology, it enters into the “Trough of Disillusionment,” according to the research firm.
This is a make-or-break moment. A new technology could take years to move past this stage and enter the “Slope of Enlightenment,” eventually reaching the “Plateau of Productivity.”
Gartner said technologies that have passed the Trough of Disillusionment and are progressing on the Slope of Enlightenment include autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for transport, collaborative in-aisle picking robots, and mobile robotic goods-to-person (G2P) systems. The progression points to the benefits of these technologies becoming more widely understood.
On the rise this year are automation and artificial intelligence, such as autonomous data-collection and inspection technologies. Gartner said they are approaching the Peak of Inflated Expectations, and it expects them to deliver benefits over the next five to 10 years.
Indoor-flying drones and mobile robots can autonomously capture data using technologies like AI-enabled vision or RFID to supplement time-consuming inventory management, inspection, and surveillance tasks. They can also alleviate safety concerns that arise in warehouses, such as workers counting inventory in hard-to-reach places.
“Automating labor-intensive tasks can provide notable benefits,” Klappich said. “With AI capabilities increasingly embedded in mobile robots and drones, the potential to function unaided and adapt to environments will make it possible to support a growing number of use cases.”
Where do humanoids fall in the cycle?
This year, humanoid robots have entered the Innovation Trigger on the Hype Cycle, and many people expect them to have a transformational impact on supply chains. However, mainstream adoption may take 10 years or more, Gartner said.
Exploiting the human form factor and powered by AI, this generation of humanoid robots is striving to achieve the adaptability of the human workforce, said the company. They might flexibly support the needs of the business by dynamically moving between processes and taking on new activities without special programming.
“For supply chains with high-volume and predictable processes, humanoid robots have the potential to enhance or supplement the supply chain workforce,” noted Klappich. “However, while the pace of innovation is encouraging, the industry is years away from general-purpose humanoid robots being used in more complex retail and industrial environments.”