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Autonomous robotic systems have been used in the manufacturing process for some time now and have come very far from the dangerous stationary robotic arms that make up the assembly line. Now robots are able to communicate with one another and then back to the cloud, which can give real time information about the production line to the humans in charge. It doesn’t stop there, with new autonomous cars being tested robotics systems are being looked at in an entirely new way. These new technologies are the first step in creating an autonomous supply chain. As the Internet of Things begins to is making its mark on the industry, these robotic systems can connect with the IoT to create an unstoppable and cost effective supply chain all the way from production to delivery.

In the UK, the government announced it wants to be at the forefront of driverless technology as they just approved a new code of practice that allows testing of these autonomous cars. Google has a line of driverless cars that have logged over 700,000 miles and no accidents have been caused by the driverless cars. New sensor driven technology is at the forefront of these new driverless cars as well as collaborative robotics systems. These new sensors are becoming cheaper and able to analyse much more data to ensure an efficient machine. This is the first step of making driverless trucking a reality.. Autonomous cars are not the only automated delivery system in the works, Amazon is working on delivery drones that will be delivering small packages directly to consumer doors within an hour of placing the order. The self driving trucks will be able to transport much heavier freight, this will be very beneficial to the industrial manufacturer as the drones can’t deliver heavier loads.

All of these breakthroughs in autonomous robotics systems are being introduced just in time to fill take the place of retiring warehouse employees. The average age of an employee on the warehouse floor is 55 and in the coming years they are expected to retire with no one there to take their place. With less truck drivers and fewer and fewer people looking for jobs working on a warehouse floor, these robotic systems will be there to ensure there will be a workforce. While robots are replacing these jobs, they are also creating new work that needs to be done. These machines need to be monitored and maintained in order to assure the production process and the supply chain is running correctly.

Amazon Warehouse Robots Video-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quWFjS3Ci7A#t=39

Amazon warehouse robots pick up and move the stocked shelves to the employees in order to reduce downtime.

These new robotics systems will be collaborating with humans to help create a more efficient warehouse and supply chain as a whole. Robots can do things people can’t, such as take data that is collected from the IoT and react in real time or lift and hold heavy materials. If production needs to pick up the robot will see this and be able to increase production speed and vise versa all without human interference. New systems like Baxter the robot made by Rethink Robotics, is another example on how far these systems have come. Baxter is a collaborative robot that can work alongside humans without the need for a safety cage. Baxter can help streamline the production system by assisting the human employee with tasks that would normally require additional machinery. Baxter can lift heavy objects with ease and let the human work around the robot without the person being in any danger.

As these robotics systems improve and the supply chain becomes ever more connected, the robot will be a staple throughout the entire supply chain. In coming years it will be necessary for organizations to create a balance between autonomous systems and human collaboration to create an ever more efficient supply chain.