Records show that the history of industrial robots can be traced back to 1954, when George Devol designed the first model. Even then, robots were programmed to do limited and repetitive tasks.
However, as technology evolves and with artificial intelligence penetrating multiple sectors, industry insiders believe the entire robotic industry has made a revolutionary paradigm shift, and transitioned to more critical roles of maintenance and even providing comfort to human beings, as companions and caregivers.

Industry insiders assert that high labour costs and lack of specific talent, which is prevalent in almost every part of the world, has paved the path for robotics and artificial intelligence to penetrate different industries. Agreeing with these impending factors, Frank Nijdam, Managing Director Europe, Walraven, says, “To counter the high labour costs in Europe, we have to adopt a high level of automation.”

He further says the lack of specialised talent is a constant challenge that keeps prodding the industry, owing to the task of offering specialised training to personnel, which is sometimes cumbersome, owing to the continuous investment and time taken for the training. “However in the case of robots, we just have to programme them once, and let them do the job,” Nijdam says.

Speaking from a manufacturing perspective, Kollina Hanskehian, Business Development Director, DigiRobotics Technologies, says: “On the manufacturing side, robots and smart technologies play the best role in accelerating the tech wheel in any factory. They can help achieve the production targets and reduce the cycle time for each production.”

Sharing details of how his company has adopted robotics in the manufacturing process, Nijdam says that Walraven has two product groups – clamps and fixing rails – where robotic technology has been fully integrated with the manufacturing process. Explaining the cycle, he says that right from the raw materials to the final quality check, as per specifications, the robot manages everything based on the algorithms with which it has been programmed. Enthusiastically he adds, “We employ robots not just because of the reduced time to produce the products but also because of the precision they have while assembling the products, which reduces wastage and costs tremendously.”

Evolution of the technology
Robotics and artificial intelligence have gone through multiple evolution cycles. With a protean approach, robots are switching from repetitive tasks to intelligent applications. Elaborating on the evolution of the technology, Hanskehian says: “Five years ago, robotic solution enquiries were few and basic. But now, manufacturers are becoming more aware of the level of innovation, and are looking for better features and advantages, where they can transform their production lines with fully automated, programmed robotic solutions.” Voicing a similar view and elaborating on the level of acceptance of robotic technology in the HVAC industry, Charles Khairallah, President, Robotics Design, says, the evolution of robotics is pushing service providers to ideate and develop even better technologies. He says, “The acceptance of robotic technology in the HVAC industry is growing worldwide. The market is shifting to robotics, and robots will be catalysts in the cleaning and maintenance industry. This is why it is important to put forward high-quality robots to help build trust between the robot and the end-user.” Further explaining the role of robots in the maintenance side of HVAC, Khairallah says that even today, in a significant number of cases, duct cleaning is still archaic, and manual cleaning is a mundane and highly time-consuming task, which has led to disastrous accidents, unexpected overhead costs, and can also be extremely detrimental to a duct-cleaning professional’s health, especially in hazardous environments. To counter these complex challenges, he says, duct cleaning robots are a clear solution to occupational hazards and play a critical role in difficult-to-reach places. “Robots perform cleaning, coating, sealing and inspecting with more precision, and in some projects, they take one-fourth of the time than what a manual labourer takes,” Khairallah says. “These robots are highly in demand by responsible duct-cleaning professionals worldwide.” Sharing a similar view, Sibin James Chacko, Executive Director, EMCC, an HVAC contracting company, says that with ducts requiring intense maintenance, to prevent the build-up of mould and moisture, it is a challenge to efficiently clean a ducting system, especially when there are harder-to- reach areas. “When it comes to deep-cleaning of ducts, robots play the role, especially in huge areas with difficult accessibility,” he says.