Robot applications-towards the year 2000

The first robots were introduced in manufacturing industry in 1961 in the USA. Since that time there has been a significant growth in the number of robots in use and the range of applications in which they are used. The main driving force in the development and application of robots has been the automotive industry. The benefits of flexible automation have been incorporated wholeheartedly into the automotive manufacturing process. Over the last decade this has progressed to the point where an automotive plant without a significant robot population is considered to be unusual. The automotive companies have also assisted the utilisation of robots in other areas by encouraging their suppliers to utilise the same technologies. The influence of the automotive industries has, therefore, biased the development of applications to those found in the automotive industries, namely spot and arc welding, machine loading and injection moulding. In this paper the author looks at the UK robotics industry, he compares the industry with the rest of the world and considers future trends, technological developments, legislative influences, and commercial pressures