Co-bots and automatons: the divergent futures of robotics

Robotics is a surprisingly old discipline, arguably beginning in ancient Egypt, where human-esque figurines were built into water clocks to automatically strike bells on the hour. The human obsession with the creation of ‘automata’ runs throughout human history, but the first recognisably modern robots did not appear until the 20^th century.

Since the introduction of the term robot by Czech author Karel Capek in 1920, the allure – and use – of mechanical aids has only grown. Today, the robotics industry is worth over $63bn, and is expected to reach $218bn by 2030. A new GlobalData Thematic Take, Unlocking...