It feels that robots have been a part of the automation landscape forever, but that is only true in a small set of applications. As the use of robots has gained popularity in more industries, the recent pandemic made it clear that robots could be used in many more situations. One of the greatest impacts the pandemic had on the business world has been on the labor force. With unemployment nearing pre-pandemic lows, every industry is still looking for labor. There are over 10 million job openings and no people to fill them. Enter the robot. The term robot comes from the Czech word robota, generally translated as “forced labor.” This describes most robots fairly well. Most robots in the world are designed for heavy, repetitive manufacturing work. They handle tasks that are difficult, dangerous, or dull to human beings. Now robots are being added in any location that add value so the companies can use their human employees in higher value areas and tasks still beyond the scope of machines.
An industrial robot with six joints closely resembles a human arm — it has the equivalent of a shoulder, an elbow, and a wrist. Typically, the shoulder is mounted to a stationary base structure rather than to a movable body. This type of robot has six degrees of freedom, meaning it can pivot in six different ways. A human arm, by comparison, has seven degrees of freedom.