CES 2026, the world’s largest technology trade show, has come to a close—and this year, one theme stood out above all others: robots. From humanoids and quadrupeds to sports and healthcare applications, robotics was everywhere on the show floor, signaling that the era of Physical AI—where AI and robotics come together in the real world—is quickly taking shape.

With Jae-bum Park, Senior Researcher at POSCO Research Institute, we look at what CES 2026 revealed about the future of robotics and where POSCO Group’s strengths could create new opportunities in this fast-growing industry.

Powering the Energy Transition: Robots Were Everywhere at CES 2026

At this year’s CES, robots were impossible to miss. Even in booths hosted by companies not traditionally associated with robotics, robot-related technologies appeared throughout the exhibition. The message was clear: AI-powered robots are moving beyond demonstrations and entering everyday life and industrial environments.

One of the most talked-about exhibits was Atlas, the humanoid robot presented by Boston Dynamics, Hyundai Motor Group’s robotics affiliate. Equipped with 56 degrees of freedom (DoF), Atlas demonstrated highly flexible movement and the ability to handle heavy-duty tasks involving loads of more than 50 kilograms—offering a glimpse of its potential in real industrial settings.

The exhibition also introduced a collaboration case involving POSCO and Boston Dynamics. On screen, Spot, Boston Dynamics’ quadruped robot, was shown moving through high-temperature facilities at a POSCO steelworks. In a noisy and heat-intensive environment, Spot was able to detect gas leaks and carry out precise inspections of equipment and infrastructure. The scene offered a compelling look at how robots are evolving from crowd-pleasing exhibits into reliable co-workers on industrial sites.

Another exhibit that drew attention came from Korean company Bodyfriend, which showcased a massage chair designed to feel almost like wearing a robotic suit. Its wearable AI healthcare robot, with independently moving arms and legs, attracted strong interest for its ability to analyze and stretch the user’s joints.

Robots were also making an impact in sports. Table tennis robots and combat robots once again proved popular with visitors, while sports robots introduced by Chinese companies such as Unitree and others showed just how far the technology has advanced. Some were able to analyze an opponent’s movements and track the trajectory of a ball in real time, providing highly detailed coaching.

Degrees of Freedom: What Makes Robot Movement More Sophisticated

As CES 2026 made clear, robot movement is becoming increasingly refined as technology advances. One term that many robotics companies use when discussing precision and flexibility is DoF, or Degree of Freedom. In simple terms, DoF refers to the number of joint axes a robot can move or control.

Generally speaking, the higher the DoF, the more independently controllable joints a robot has. This is particularly important for humanoid robots, which are expected to move in ways that resemble the human body. Industrial robot arms used in automated manufacturing processes typically have around 6 DoF, while humanoid robots usually range from 30 to 60 DoF. With 56 DoF, Boston Dynamics’ Atlas is close to the level required to mimic full-body human joint movement.

That said, increasing DoF also means adding more components such as motors, reducers, and sensors. In other words, the more sophisticated the movement, the higher the production cost. That is why robotics companies carefully design and allocate DoF based on each robot’s purpose and application.

Why Actuators Matter

An actuator is the drive unit that physically moves a robot’s joints. It can be understood as a complete joint system that combines a motor, reducer, sensor, and control circuit.

A motor on its own produces rotational motion. But for a robot arm to extend in a straight line or bend with precision, rotational movement alone is not enough. By integrating gears and electronic controls, an actuator enables more complex forms of motion, including both rotational and linear movement. If a motor is like a muscle cell, an actuator is the complete muscular joint that allows a limb to move in a controlled way.

For a humanoid robot with 56 DoF, roughly 56 precision actuators are needed.

Why Hyper NO Matters in the Age of Robotics

Electrical steel is also a critical material in motor manufacturing, accounting for roughly 20% to 30% of total motor production cost. This is especially important in robot motors, which must generate high output despite their compact size. In many cases, the performance of the electrical steel used inside the motor directly affects the motor’s overall efficiency and output.

To achieve better performance, the steel sheet must be made as thin as possible. If it is too thick, eddy currents* can form inside the material, causing energy loss in the form of heat.

*Eddy currents are swirling electric currents generated by electromagnetic induction when the magnetic field around a conductor changes rapidly.

POSCO’s high-performance electrical steel, Hyper NO, is designed to maximize magnetic performance even at extremely thin, paper-like thicknesses. The thinner electrical steel becomes, the more difficult it is to manufacture. In fact, only about five to six steelmakers worldwide, including POSCO, are capable of stably mass-producing electrical steel at the Hyper NO level. That makes it a strategic material with high technological barriers to entry—and an increasingly important one in the era of robotics and electrification.

Energy and Materials Will Help Power the Humanoid Robot Era

No matter how advanced a robot’s movement may be, it cannot function properly without enough energy. Today, humanoid robots typically operate continuously for only about two to four hours, making battery technology one of the biggest limiting factors in the industry.

At CES 2026, swappable battery systems emerged as a notable trend aimed at addressing that limitation. Boston Dynamics’ Atlas, for example, is known to operate continuously for around four hours, and it is even equipped with a function that allows it to replace its own battery when power runs low.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently predicted that there could be 10 billion humanoid robots within 25 years. If production reaches that scale, demand for actuators would rise into the hundreds of billions, making growth in demand for high-performance electrical steel almost inevitable. Once replacement demand is taken into account, the number of batteries required could also reach into the tens of billions.

This would also drive a sharp increase in demand for lithium, one of the key raw materials used in batteries. From this perspective, POSCO Group’s high-performance electrical steel technology and lithium assets are likely to draw growing attention as the robotics market continues to expand.

As robotics moves closer to real-world adoption, the future of the industry will depend not only on software and AI, but also on the materials and energy technologies that make advanced movement possible. In that future, POSCO Group is well positioned to play an important role.

Establishing a Collaboration Model Between Workers and Humanoid Robots to Expand Physical AI to Heavy and Heavy Industries

POSCO Group is accelerating the adoption of physical AI in manufacturing sites by pursuing a project to apply humanoid robots to steel product logistics management.

On the 3rd, POSCO Group signed an MOU at the POSCO DX Pangyo headquarters with representatives from four companies: POSCO, POSCO DX, POSCO Investment, and Persona AI, to implement industrial humanoid robots in the field.

Under the agreement, POSCO will identify potential work sites at its steelworks and assess their feasibility. POSCO DX will design and build a robot automation system and jointly develop a steelworks-specific model. POSCO Investment will support the implementation of a Proof of Concept (PoC), a small-scale preliminary test of ideas and technologies to determine their practical feasibility. Persona AI will be responsible for the development and implementation of a humanoid robot platform tailored to the steelworks industrial environment.

POSCO Group and Persona AI have agreed to begin testing Persona AI’s humanoid robot business in the logistics management of steel coils produced at the steelworks in February. Unloading rolled coils weighing tens of tons requires crane operation. The humanoid robot will collaborate with field workers to attach the crane belt to the coils. This is expected to be an example of human-robot collaboration creating a safer work environment.

Logistics work involving handling coils weighing 20 to 40 tons carries a high risk of accidents and the potential for musculoskeletal disorders due to repetitive tasks. The deployment of humanoid robots is expected to address these issues. Since last year, POSCO Group has been considering the introduction of humanoid robots in terminal logistics processes, such as transportation and material preparation, considering the characteristics of heavy construction sites. If this demonstration process confirms the mechanical safety and collaboration potential of humanoid robots with workers, the group plans to expand their deployment and apply them to various logistics sites.

Persona AI is a US-based humanoid robot startup founded in 2024 by renowned robotics engineers and industry experts. Prior to this agreement, POSCO Group invested a total of $3 million in Persona AI last year. Combining NASA’s robotic hand technology with its own precision control technology, Persona AI is developing industrial humanoid robots capable of everything from assembling fine components to handling heavy loads.

To respond promptly to the industrial paradigm shift, including AX, POSCO Group plans to expand its Intelligent Factory initiative across its manufacturing sites and create a safe and comfortable, technology-based workplace.

▲ (From the second from the left in the front row, moving right) Kyuho Chung, Head of POSCO DX Strategy Office; Minseok Shim, President & CEO of POSCO DX; Nicolaus Radford, CEO of Persona AI; Geunhwan Kim, President of POSCO Venture Capital, along with business representatives, pose for a commemorative photo after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at POSCO DX’s Pangyo office for the on-site application of industrial humanoid robots.

Recently, demand for humanoid robots in China has surged, leading to a wave of large-scale supply contracts. In response, Morgan Stanley released its Humanoid Robots 100 report, projecting that the global humanoid robots market could reach as much as USD 60 trillion within the next decade. This article examines the potential of humanoid robots as an industrial mega trend, global technology development strategies, and Korea’s approach to this emerging sector.

Senior Researcher Jeoung-Heon Woo POSCO Research Institute

Humanoid Robots in History

Humanoid robots—machines designed to resemble humans—have appeared throughout history, sometimes as loyal assistants, other times as perceived threats. Examples include the bronze giant Talos from ancient Greek and Roman mythology, the water-clock-powered automaton of China’s Han Dynasty, and Leonardo da Vinci’s “robot knight” from the Renaissance. Across ancient civilizations, human-like machines have emerged in various forms.

Interest in humanoid robots has endured for centuries, accompanied by caution over potential risks. Notably, science fiction writer Isaac Asimov introduced the Three Laws of Robotics in his 1942 short story Runaround, raising philosophical questions about the relationship between humans and machines.

The rapid advancement of AI in recent years suggests that robotics may evolve toward a humanoid robots-centered future. While a “machine” is generally defined as a tool designed to perform production activities using power, a “robot” is an intelligent machine capable of making autonomous decisions under certain conditions.

Modern humanoid robots go further, combining advanced AI with a human-like form factor—a body structure modeled on human anatomy—allowing them to learn work methods, optimize performance, and actively assist in a wide range of human activities.

Physical AI: Extending Intelligence into the Real World

The concept of Physical AI is also gaining attention. Physical AI refers to AI embedded in physical devices—such as robots or autonomous vehicles—that interact directly with the real world. Traditional AI communicated with humans through digital interfaces like text or images, but Physical AI operates in real-world environments, collaborating with humans, perceiving surroundings, and responding accordingly. At CES 2025, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang identified Physical AI as a major future growth driver, emphasizing NVIDIA’s role at the center of this technological shift.

ⓒ gettyimagesbank

Why the World is Paying Attention to Humanoid Robots

Humanoid robots are gaining social acceptance and technological attention for two main reasons: form factor suitability and socio-economic potential.

1. Form Factor Perspective

Robots designed for specific repetitive tasks benefit from specialized form factors. However, for Physical AI performing diverse, non-specialized actions in real-world environments, a human-like form factor is advantageous because our physical infrastructure is built for human proportions.

Door handles, stair dimensions, and control panel placements are all designed for human use. Humanoid robots can operate in these environments without costly infrastructure changes, offering high versatility. In contrast, having different standards for each form factor would be inefficient.

2. Socio-Economic Perspective

Humanoid robots’ human-like appearance enables a wide range of human-robot collaboration scenarios, extending beyond manufacturing into customer service, caregiving, education, and guidance. Recent advances in language processing, facial expression recognition, and gesture control have improved emotional engagement, signaling the evolution of robots into social entities.

However, psychological barriers remain. Masahiro Mori, Professor Emeritus at Tokyo Institute of Technology, proposed the Uncanny Valley theory, which suggests that robots that look too human can cause discomfort. This highlights the need to consider psychological acceptance and emotional distance alongside technical perfection.

Economically, humanoid robots are highly promising. Their development requires not only AI but also sensors, actuators, motion control systems, and energy supply technologies. These demands drive innovation across multiple industries, making humanoid robots development a potential growth engine for the future.

Humanoid Robots Industry Structure and Potential Players

Morgan Stanley’s February 2025 report divides the humanoid robots industry value chain into three core areas: Brain, Body, and Integrator, and identifies potential players in each.

• Brain: Combines software and hardware. Software includes AI models, data science, simulation technology, and vision software. Hardware includes memory and vision computing.
• Body: Includes actuators, components, motors, sensors, batteries, power semiconductors, analog semiconductors, aluminum casting, connectors, heat treatment, and automation systems.
• Integrator: Companies that assemble and integrate the brain and body into finished products. Potential players include Hyundai Motor, Boston Dynamics, Apple, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Alibaba, Amazon, Naver, ABB, and KUKA.

The industry can also be categorized into core components and modules, finished product assembly, and service areas, with the service sector expected to see diverse business models emerge.

Global Technology Leaders: Tesla and NVIDIA and Hyundai Motor

▲ Tesla’s Optimus Gen 2 (Source:Tesla’s official YouTube channel)

The emerging humanoid robots industry is being led by Tesla and NVIDIA, each pursuing distinct strategies.

Tesla is leveraging its expertise in EV production and autonomous driving to develop Optimus, a humanoid robot intended to automate production lines. First unveiled at Tesla AI Day in 2021, Optimus has evolved to perform a variety of tasks. The 2024 Optimus 2 features 40 actuators—12 in the hands alone—allowing it to perform delicate actions such as cracking an egg. Tesla plans to enter the humanoid robots sales market in 2026.

NVIDIA, on the other hand, aims to dominate the humanoid robots “Brain” platform rather than build its own robot. Its Jetson Thor computer, based on the latest Blackwell GPU architecture, enables large-scale AI inference and vision-based decision-making directly on local devices—capabilities previously limited to server environments.

Tesla’s approach resembles Apple’s integrated hardware-software model, while NVIDIA’s strategy is akin to Android’s platform dominance.

▲ Hyundai Motor Company unveils humanoid robot “Atlas” at CES 2026(Source:Hyundai Motor Group official YouTube channel)

In addition to these global leaders, Hyundai Motor introduced its humanoid robot Atlas at CES 2026. Purpose-built for industrial and logistics operations, Atlas offers advanced mobility, precise manipulation capabilities, and seamless integration with Hyundai’s autonomous vehicle and smart factory ecosystems. The debut underscores Hyundai’s ambition to position itself as a key integrator in the humanoid robots value chain, capitalizing on its manufacturing expertise, robotics R&D, and global production footprint.

Securing Leadership in the Humanoid Robots Value Chain

Following smartphones and EVs, the world has lacked a clear driver of technological innovation—until humanoid robots emerged as the next catalyst. As a convergence of cutting-edge technologies, humanoid robots are recognized as a key area for future growth, though challenges remain in cost competitiveness and safety in human-machine collaboration.

Importantly, the humanoid robots industry’s impact will extend beyond AI and software into materials, components, and services. Development and standardization will require core components that meet both functionality and reliability, along with mass production capabilities. In the service sector, opportunities will arise in humanoid robots deployment, human-robot collaboration models, and humanoid robots training and operation.

In June 2025, the Korean government launched the K-Humanoid Robots Alliance, a national robotics and AI consortium involving over 40 domestic industry, academic, and research institutions. AI companies and experts are collaborating with universities to develop AI models for robot manufacturers, with field trials supported by demand-side companies such as POSCO Group.For example, Aei Robot has signed MOUs with POSCO E&C and HD Hyundai Mipo Shipyard to develop humanoid robots for construction sites and shipyards.

Humanoid robots have moved beyond simple robotics to become a central axis of next-generation industrial innovation. Understanding and responding strategically to the technological, industrial, and service trends surrounding their evolution is more important than ever.

POSCO Mobility Solutions Expected to Expand Robot Automation at Domestic, Poland, Mexico, and India Sites

POSCO Group is partnering with Yaskawa Electric (hereafter “Yaskawa”), one of the world’s top three industrial robot manufacturers, to actively expand robot deployment in POSCO Mobility Solutions’ flagship product, the drive motor core production site.

On the 14th, a three-party business agreement signing ceremony was held at POSCO Mobility Solutions’ Cheonan plant. The ceremony was attended by Shim Min-suk, President of POSCO DX; Kim Sang-gyun, President of POSCO Mobility Solutions; and Yamada Seigo, President of Yaskawa Electric Korea, along with other business partners.

Through this collaboration, POSCO Mobility Solutions plans to gradually implement robots that transport motor cores produced by POSCO Mobility Solutions to quality inspection measuring equipment and sort the transported products by quality grade. These robots will be deployed at POSCO Mobility Solutions’ Cheonan and Pohang plants, as well as overseas sites in Poland, Mexico, and India. Prior to this agreement, POSCO Mobility Solutions and POSCO DX had already installed and operated these robots at the Pohang plant last year. POSCO Mobility Solutions expects this collaboration to enhance safety and maximize productivity in industrial sites, laying a solid foundation for future cost competitiveness innovation.

To achieve this, POSCO Mobility Solutions will identify the robot requirements required for production sites, while POSCO DX will design the layout of the robot automation system, considering integration with existing production facilities and systems, and provide and build the entire automation system. Yaskawa will provide the optimized robots and provide technical support, including after-sales service.

The drive motor cores produced by POSCO Mobility Solutions are key components in electric and hybrid vehicles, converting electricity from the battery into rotational power to turn the wheels.

POSCO Mobility Solutions produces drive motor cores and supplies them to global automakers such as Hyundai Motor Company, Tesla, and Stellantis. Yaskawa possesses motion control-based robotics technology in the industrial robotics sector, providing a competitive edge in high-speed, high-precision processes.

A POSCO Group official stated, “We are pursuing productivity improvements by applying robotic automation to industrial sites such as steel and secondary batteries. Through this agreement, we will strengthen our three-way collaboration with Yaskawa, a global robot manufacturer, and expand physical AI-based robotic automation, combined with AI technology, not only within our group but also to external industrial sites.”

Meanwhile, POSCO Group is actively promoting the creation of a safe and comfortable workplace based on technology by expanding intelligent factories across its manufacturing sites to enhance per-person productivity and by applying unmanned robot technology.

▲ A Yaskawa robot is transporting a manufactured product to a quality inspection measuring device at the POSCO Mobility Solutions Pohang Plant’s drive motor core stator production line.

Save your valuable time. Watch a short version of a long YouTube video in just 3 minutes! In this article, we will introduce POSCO DX’s Robot Automation Center. Shall we listen to the story of POSCO DX Robot Automation Center, which is establishing safe and productive industrial sites by applying industrial robots to high-risk and high-intensity sites?

There are many dangerous and difficult processes at industrial sites. POSCO Group, the largest steel company in Korea, makes molten steel in a blast furnace with temperatures above 1,000℃, removes impurities, and produces high-quality steel with its own recipe. Due to the nature of this work, the company needs engineers with advanced know-how accumulated over 20 to 30 years.

However, a large number of highly skilled workers who have played an active role in the field are about to retire. That number is 7.4 million, accounting for 25% of the economically active population. As a result, companies are increasingly demanding industrial robots that reflect the technical know-how of veteran employees.

POSCO DX is particularly distinguished in the industrial robot market. Now, let’s take a look at the POSCO DX Robot Automation Center and the robot business!

The new POSCO DX Robot Automation Center established earlier this year is an organization that operates robot engineering in manufacturing and logistics as well as software technology for very dangerous and high-intensity work in steel mills based on its know-how at industrial sites. It is spurring the spread of AI robots at industrial sites to create a safe work environment.

Steel mills are considered representative high-risk sites because they handle molten steel. If they are automated with robots, safe work sites can be established. If robots are used in dangerous sites and people are assigned to other places, work productivity will naturally improve.

POSCO DX is becoming an “intelligent factory” powerhouse, automating everything from manufacturing to winning orders and sales beyond a smart factory! Let’s take a closer look at the examples POSCO DX has applied in the field.

① Dross Removal Robot

POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks No. 4 Plating Plant has a process for covering the surface of steel with zinc. In this case, when high-temperature zinc and the steel plate come into contact, a foreign substance called dross* is formed and the process will go smoothly only when this is removed at the right time. However, the zinc plating pot containing boiling hot zinc reaches temperatures around 460℃.
*Dross: Waste material formed when high-temperature zinc and steel plates come into contact.

Now, instead of people, dross removal robots constantly remove dross from the surface of the hot zinc plating pot in the field. In No. 4 Plating Plant, workers are usually in the operating room, and robots take care of the dangerous sites. Prior to the introduction of robots, a team consisting of four workers manually skimmed off foreign substances 10 times a day.

② Band Cutter Automation Robot

In addition, POSCO DX, along with Pohang Steelworks, pushed for the automation of the band cutter in the cold rolling process.

The coils produced in the rolling process of steel materials are thin and bound by bands and shipped to each plant in the form of rolls so that they do not unravel as they move. To perform reprocessing, the band binding the coil has to be removed, but at this time, the band may bounce off and injure workers.

To prevent such safety accidents, POSCO DX introduced the band cutter automation robot. This robot is expected to be expanded further since it can be applied not only to the rolling process but also to the stainless steel and electrical steel production processes.

③ Saggar Robot

Furthermore, POSCO DX is strengthening cooperation with the POSCO Future M Gwangyang cathode materials plant, which produces rechargeable battery materials.

They applied a robot automation system to replace a saggar, a refractory container for baking cathode materials. Saggar is contained in lithium and baked, and corrodes easily, so it must be replaced regularly, but the work intensity is high due to the large quantity.

However, POSCO Future M detected waste saggar with X-rays and POSCO DX automated the work of replacing the detected waste saggar with new saggar, reducing worker fatigue and performing the work more efficiently! POSCO DX and POSCO Future M are also closely collaborating to apply this automation system to the Pohang NCA cathode materials plant.

④ Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) and AGV Control System (ACS)

POSCO DX’s robot technology was introduced to the POSCO Fulfillment Center in Gwangyang, which was completed this year.

POSCO DX has introduced robots from various manufacturers that play different roles in the field, and applied ACS* solutions for the integrated management of collaboration between robots and task assignments. ACS is a system that assigns a tasks to an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) or an Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR), and creates the optimal route so they do not collide with each other. This system was jointly developed with Daim Research.
*AGV Control System (ACS): A system that controls the traffic of multiple unmanned transport devices.

In addition, POSCO Future M is increasing the capacity of cathode material production and automating raw material transport by using unmanned transport robots. This project is now underway in Pohang, Gwangyang, and Quebec City.

POSCO DX plans to become a leading company in improving safety and productivity by providing industrial robot solutions not only to POSCO Group but also to various high-intensity and high-risk sites. Please keep an eye on POSCO DX, which will grow into a company specializing in intelligent factories beyond smart factories based on its creative robot technologies!

▼Meet the POSCO DX Robot Automation Center through video!↓

The ever-growing demand for electric motors can be attributed to several factors including the growing interest in eco-friendly and fuel-efficient motors and improved living standards in a number of densely-populated countries around the world. Plus, new innovations in home appliances are not only driving the demand for electric motors, it’s changing the way they are shaped, sized and put together.

So, how exactly do electric motors work?

An electric motor is in pretty much every electronic appliance. The motor is what turns electricity into mechanical movement. When an electric motor is charged with electricity, the axle, or metal rod turns and creates movement. The motor itself is powered by two opposing magnets – the permanent magnet and the electromagnet. When electric current is applied to the electromagnet, it pushes against the permanent magnet creating rotary or linear movement.

The inside of an electric motor. (Source: Stiavelli)

Many parts of electric motors are made of electrical steel, including the motor core. Electrical steel is an alloy of iron and silicon and can generate various magnetic properties. High-quality electric steel such as POSCO’s Hyper NO will have a small hysteresis curve that minimizes energy loss. POSCO’s technology also reduces core loss by 5 percent as well as motor noise by 5dB.

Electric Motors in Home Appliances

Home appliances currently account for about a third of total energy consumption and attribute to 45 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in an average household. Energy-efficient home appliances are in high demand due to increasingly stricter environmental regulations, consumers’ desire to save on utility bills as well as their desire to lower noise output from appliances such as dishwashers and dryers.

In order to maximize energy efficiency, engineers and manufacturers turn to high quality non-oriented electrical steel such as POSCO’s Hyper NO to meet consumer needs.

SEE ALSO: Why Electrical Steel Can Make All The Difference In EV Motors

Next Generation of Home Appliances

Aside from traditional home appliances, there is a growing number of innovative, next-generation home appliances that rely on high-quality electric motors for maximum efficiency, cost effectiveness and also range of movement.

These days, robots are part of the average household in the form of vacuums, personal home assistants, alarm clocks and more. Unlike traditional home appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines that are stationary, innovative robot appliances move in different directions. This is where actuators come in. Actuators are electric motors in a gearbox, and the gearbox essentially gives electric motors added torque, or rotational force, that allows the robot to move in a variety of directions, including twisting and turning.

Actuators are what propels a variety of movement in robots. (Source: Motion Control Tips)

Moreover, engineers are now working with modular actuators to build robotic structures for a greater range of movement, speed and positions through segmented parts. Highly efficient, relatively low-cost and diverse actuators are coming together with AI sensors, voice recognition and smart controllers to breed a new generations of home appliances.

There are 3 different types of actuators based on how they are powered, and electrical actuators are most commonly found in home applications. Compared to the other types of actuators, electric actuators have lower speed and power, but are easy to install and control. Because they are often modular and can be applied for customized purposes, the resulting robots have a great range of motion to fit the new roles home robots are taking on.

Examples of Applications in the home

Here are some of the latest robots for the home that require advanced electric actuators and are changing the way people think of home appliances.

Aeolus Bot

The prototype for the Aeolus Bot was introduced at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The robot can move around the nooks and crannies of the home learning different objects and places with its smart software. It can also retrieve different objects and clean the house using other home appliances.

The Aeolus Bot responds to voice commands. (Source: Unbox Holics)

Not only that, Aeolus also has Amazon’s Alexa software, recognize its owner’s face and can alert family members of any disturbances.

Sony Aibo

Sony’s Aibo looks and moves like a dog. With its voice recognition software it can respond to commands, recognize faces and perform tricks. Although the furless bot may not be able to swim or jump the fence, it can pick up a objects, sit, roll over and move much more dynamically than other home robots.

The Sony Aibo can do simple tricks on command. (Source: The Verge)

The changing face (and shape) of home appliances is putting actuators to full use with their wide range of movement, speed and positions. Highly-efficient electric motors and actuators will continue to be in high demand as new innovations in home appliances and robots keep rolling out.

Cover photo courtesy of GE Reports.

According to research by McKinsey, approximately 51 percent of all job-related activities in the U.S. can be replaced by robots. Another recent research conducted by PwC shows that 40 percent of jobs in the U.S., 31 percent in the UK, 35 percent in Germany and 21 percent of the jobs in Tokyo are vulnerable to replacement by robotics or other artificial intelligence (AI).

An imagined image of an all-robot workforce (Source: Digital News Asia)

The figures are daunting, but in practice, companies have yet to realize a fully-automated system that matches human labor. The truth is, humans need robots to take over mundane and physically demanding tasks, while people take on creative and innovative roles in the workplace. What is more likely is a shift in workplace dynamics, not a decrease in the overall number of jobs available. Today, most companies have automated their systems to varying degrees, and robots are continually being upgraded.

The Human-Robot Collaboration

Last year, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published ISO/TS 15066, the safety standards for collaborative robots, or cobots that work in the same workplace as humans simultaneously. Before, it was common to find robots restrained in cages, or shut off while human workers loaded equipment onto the robots. Now, with enhanced sensors and diverse power settings, the safety risks of working with cobots are low. To add, many industries are embracing cobots over traditional industrial robots that work alone, because cobots are less expensive and require much less energy to operate.     

A welder gets help from a cobot

Not only are they a sustainable solution for companies, they increase workers’ productivity. According to Business World, Julie Shah and her team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted a study looking at human-robot collaborations at a BMW plant. She found higher levels of productivity, efficiency and performance when humans and robots collaborate in comparison to all-human or all-robot systems. Collaboration also reduced human idle time by 85 percent. Many argue that this increase in productivity will lead to more business and eventually create more jobs that revolve around working with cobots.

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) found that robot-driven productivity accounted for 10 percent of total GDP growth in OECD countries from 1993 to 2016, and that number will continue to grow in the coming years. The IFR predicts worldwide usage of industrial robots to reach 2.6 million by 2019. That’s one million more robots than in 2015.

Cobots are already making their way into factories and warehouses, and human workers are learning to work with their new counterparts.

Auto Industry

The automotive industry is one of the most common places to find cobots as major automakers were early movers in incorporating robotics into the workforce. That’s why it’s the perfect place to observe the changing dynamics of the workplace with cobots. At Ford’s new production facility, cobots work shoulder to shoulder with the production team in what they call a blended solution. Mostly, cobots have taken over repetitive tasks, physically demanding or dangerous tasks and freed up workers to focus on new innovations and creative projects. The facility runs 21 hours a day, 6 days a week thanks to around 550 cobots and robots.

Take a look at the new working dynamics at Ford below:

Food Industry

The food industry is another sector ripe for human-cobot collaboration, especially in the packaging sector. However, pizza restaurant Zume is changing the delivery pizza experience with automated technology. Cobots have taken over tasks such as spreading the sauce and lifting the pies into the oven. They will be implementing more robot technology to free up kitchen staff to work in their offices for business expansion. Another addition to come is a delivery truck equipped with 50 ovens that will start cooking the pizzas based on exactly calculated arrival times.

Watch the video below to find out more about what Zume is working on:

E-Commerce Industry   

Amazon is another early mover that introduced 15,000 cobots named Kiva to their warehouses in 2014. Two years prior in 2012, they bought Kiva Systems, a robotics company, for USD 775 million. Since then, the number of cobot employees has tripled.

Here’s how it works. Human employees scan items and place them into the shelf-like pods. Instantly, the scanned item is available to purchase online. Kiva’s software keeps track of where each item is so that it can easily be found at the picking station, where a human employee retrieves the product for shipping. Amazon managed to rapidly increase efficiency and speed up delivery times with Kiva. They continue to incorporate AI into their services, including their drone delivery system.

Take a look at Kiva in action in the video below:

Healthcare Industry

In the healthcare industry, cobots are being incorporated to assist doctors in surgery and lighten the burden of caregivers by taking over mundane tasks. Pairing cobots and their software technology with doctors has several benefits including minimized invasiveness, exactness and reduced mistakes in surgical procedures. To date, AI and cobots have allowed doctors to access new parts of the human body for surgery, and achieve breakthrough feats the way they examine, monitor and operate on patients.

Take a look at the most innovative cobots to date in the healthcare industry:

Steel Industry

POSCO is a leader in applying AI to the steel production systems. In 2015, they developed an exoskeleton cobot designed to enable workers strength beyond their own. The cobot is made of carbon fiber, aluminum and steel, and was first tested with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, at their facility in Okpo-dong. The cobot enabled shipyard workers to easily lift heavy pieces of metal weighing around 70 pounds, and researchers are working to allow workers to lift up to 200 pounds effortlessly.

Watch the video to find out more:

Aside from cobots, POSCO also incorporates AI and IoT into their smart factory, the first smart steel factory in the world, and continues to research and develop smart solutions to optimize the production processes.

Continued automation and the incorporation of cobots in the workplace is inevitable, and governments and institutions will have to provide resources for people to fill jobs tailored to working with cobots or those that cannot be replaced in any way by robots and AI. What’s ahead is figuring out how to think of cobots as coworkers that will only enhance one’s work. Also, companies have to figure out how to fully realize the potential for increased economic productivity through this type of cobot co-work that will lead to the development of more innovations, technology and ultimately, new business ventures.

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