Meet the New Generation of Robots for Manufacturing

ABB and others have introduced robots designed to assemble small parts and detect whether products are being put together properly.

PHOTO: ABB ROBOTICS
A new generation of robots is on the way—smarter, more mobile, more collaborative and more adaptable. They promise to bring major changes to the factory floor, as well as potentially to the global competitive landscape.

Robots deployed in manufacturing today tend to be large, dangerous to anyone who strays too close to their whirling arms, and limited to one task, like welding, painting or hoisting heavy parts.