Smart mobile robot adoption in supply chains is growing rapidly and will far outpace drones over the next three years, according to Gartner, Inc.
“By 2027, over 75% of companies will have adopted some form of cyber-physical automation within their warehouse operations,” says Dwight Klappich, VP and fellow in Gartner’s Supply Chain Practice. “Labor shortages and challenges retaining talent, coupled with technology advances such as machine learning and AI, will continue to drive adoption of smart robots.”
Gartner Inc.
Key takeaways:
- Smart robots are nearing the “peak of inflated expectations,” where early publicity produces success stories, but expectations rise above the current reality of what can be achieved.
- As companies expand their use of robotics, most will eventually have heterogeneous fleets of robots from different vendors performing various tasks.
“In the past year, we’ve seen increased interest in smart robots and MAO platforms as companies are looking to further improve logistic operations, support automation and augment humans in various jobs,” Klappich says. “Rapidly emerging and evolving technologies, like MAO, will enable organizations to leverage heterogeneous fleets of mobile robots to assist with more complex activities, delivering cost savings and productivity benefits.”
