Manufacturers can learn about robotics for business use at a day-long demonstration workshop in Albuquerque on May 8. New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership (New Mexico MEP), a nonprofit organization that helps manufacturers increase profits and competitiveness, is hosting the robotics firm FANUC, which will lead the demonstrations. The event is free, but registration is required because space is limited.
The International Federation of Robotics has issued a report highlighting what it sees as the 2025 top global trends in robotics. According to the report, the global market value of industrial robot installations has reached an all-time high of $16.5 billion and has room to grow.
Not surprisingly, the report lists Artificial Intelligence as its number one trend in robotics. “So-called Physical AI allows robots to train themselves in virtual environments and operate by experience, rather than programming,” says the report, whose authors believe AI will advance in traditional industrial environments.
Humanoid robotics – robots that look like humans and perform human-like tasks – are not expected to gain wide industrial acceptance outside of applications that perform a single task, such as those utilized in the automotive industry, according to the report. However, robotics in energy efficiency and sustainability are expected to grow due to “their ability to perform tasks with high precision that reduces material waste and improves the output-input ratio of a manufacturing process.” These robots will be important for helping international companies comply with the UN’s environmental sustainability regulations and goals. Robots are also expected to address worldwide labor shortages in manufacturing.
The report also contends that the general manufacturing industry still has a lot of potential for robotic automation, largely because most manufacturing companies are small. That is especially true in New Mexico, where the adoption of manufacturing robotics is hampered by the perceived high cost and a lack of knowledge about how robotics can be incorporated into production. In many cases, the cost of acquisition is dwarfed by gains in production and decreases in other expenses.
New Mexico MEP can help companies evaluate the costs and benefits of robotics in their manufacturing operations. In addition, the Albuquerque MEP center has sample robotic arms and mechanisms that can be applied to a range of manufacturing needs.
It should be noted that New Mexico MEP does not sell robotics, and all samples are meant to increase the knowledge and evaluation analytics of local manufacturers.
To register for the May 8, 2025, event, contact New Mexico MEP. And learn more about the services offered by NM MEP.
Article courtesy of New Mexico MEP