The robotic revolution introduced that robots are capable of performing multiple tasks. However, the required amount of storage, memory, and cost issues arise that need to be resolved. At such a time Cloud robotics appeared.

Cloud robotics is the utilization of external computer resources to get robotic applications, additional memory, processing capacity, interconnectivity, and collective learning. It permits robotics software and hardware solution providers to create low-cost robots for commercial and residential purposes.

The importance of cloud robotics is continuously growing in the IT technology world. It is also an important step in robotic learning.

All the weird-looking computer software is now available in the cloud along with appealing appearances and better user experiences.

A robot can access an enormous database of recognized items to identify objects in its environment by connecting to cloud databases via Wi-Fi. 

Recognizing the items help a robot perform tasks like arranging, managing, and cleaning. Using the cloud for data or information further facilitates the robots as it reduces the need for expensive computation power, cooling, and electricity power usage. 

Cloud-computer robotics need less battery, are less expensive, and also are lighter. It can be used to conserve the local resources for other strict deadlines applications as cloud robotics are often used for tasks that don’t need any real-time executions. 

This post is all about cloud robotics including its importance, advantages, components, and challenges.

1. What Is Cloud Robotics?

A successful and powerful combination of cloud and robotics technology is cloud robotics. Robots have the power of cloud computing to perform various tasks such as image recognition, data processing, language processing, online data storage, data insights, and many more. 

The robotics hardware and software developers no longer have to depend on the onboard capabilities to develop robots after the development of cloud robotics. 

The robotic industry will be able to reduce the usage of memory chips, electrical and electronic components when developing robots for both business and household usage.  

The fundamental idea of cloud robotics is similar to using Youtube, canvas, salesforce, and others on the cloud using just web browsers. Similarly, robots can get information from the internet, IOT devices, and the intranet to carry out tasks.

2. What Are The Components Of Cloud Robotics? 

The components of cloud robotics are explained below:

2.1 A hardware and software network builds connectivity between machine-to-machine(M2M) and machine-to-cloud(M2C). A cloud robotic operator can be able to control an individual robot as well as an entire group of robots through M2M and M2C.

2.2 The robots have neural engine software that enables them to be used with machine learning.

2.3 A worldwide digital database that robots can understand such as images, documents, formulas, coordinates, navigational information, and others.

2.4 There are both open-source and priority software for cloud robotics.

2.5 The supercomputer is capable of handling many inbound connection requests to provide statistical data, coordinates, documents, task instructions, and so on.

3. What is the Importance Of Cloud Robotics? 

Cloud robotics gives the benefits of converged infrastructure and shared devices at its core. It makes it possible for robots to benefit from modern data center computing, storage, and networking capabilities.

It also reduces the reliance and removes the maintenance and update costs on custom middleware.  

Cloud robotics enables the robots to take on multiple tasks without being affected by strict real-time deadlines by using fast data transport speeds. This is particularly important for mobile robots as the on-board computing requires more power which results in the reduction of operational time, restricts the robot’s mobility, and increases the expense.

Cloud robotics, a branch of robotics places its focus on the utilization of cloud computing to maintain automated tasks. Its objective is to combine robotics and cloud computing to create a robot that can connect to the cloud through the internet.

This results in an inexpensive, flexible, light robot that is connected to the cloud and all of its data. The robot has access to everything that the cloud offers its users including storage, power processing, and communications capabilities.

4. What Are The Advantages Of Cloud Robotics?

With the help of robots, a human can automate any job that they regularly perform. It’s just the users have to determine the nature of the work and then inform the robots accordingly. 

Machine learning and artificial intelligence enable the robots to be able to identify the jobs which require to be automated. 

The basic advantages the user gets from cloud robotics are that it’s inexpensive, saves you money, and improves the performance of your hardware.

There are several advantages of cloud robotics and some of them are as follows:

4.1 Source Development and Outsourcing

Without entering deeply into software or firmware development, companies that possess strong molding, hardware designing, and manufacturing skills can enter the robotics industry. 

They can get the cloud infrastructure from the outsourcing companies to install the tools on robots and connect to the internet for intelligence-based data for frontline operations. 

4.2 Collaborative Development

The hardware and software manufacturers for robotic sectors can easily form an association to develop and set up the service robots.

The software developers can work on the cloud component while the hardware manufacturers can focus on developing the physical parts.

Parties can build their source of revenue and possess access to the resources needed for creating robots together and also making a great profit.

4.3 Make Robots Affordable and Available

Robots don’t need to have advanced computing resources as they can easily get the information and instructions they need from a cloud computer.

It will be sufficient to just have a basic computer that can evaluate cloud data and give commands to the sensor and actuator system to carry out their tasks. As a result, the robots will cost less and need less hardware inside of them.

4.4 Recycle

Companies do not have to invest in specialized robots for various tasks. They can purchase general-purpose service robots that can be customized utilizing cloud technology to meet requirements for automated processes.

The manufacturing process should be planned correctly. Robots that need to have new hardware won’t be able to be recycled using cloud infrastructures only. Accessing the robot and changing its physical components require technicians.

4.5 Robotic Agility

The earlier robots are not attractive and also massive as a lot of machines have to fit into the robot’s body. But because of cloud robotics, the robots are now smaller in size, faster, and more attractive. 

5. What Are The Challenges Faced By Cloud Robotics?

There are various challenges faced by cloud robotics and are some of which are explained below: 

5.1 Cloud Robotics Privacy And Security

Cloud robotics technology is becoming more widely used which has raised concerns regarding privacy and security. Through the cloud services, the robots save data and carry out all the operations remotely which makes these systems suspicious to the hackers and programmers. 

If some sensitive data is saved in a cloud remotely and a hacker can easily get unauthorized access to, control, and even destroy it. 

Remote execution allows hackers to access and alter cloud-based robotic services, altering the behaviour of robot tasks in unsafe ways. 

Researchers have created the term “crypto robotics”, which combines robotics with digital security. 

To solve this issue of security and privacy related to cloud robotics, the company is now implementing suitable verification methods using multilayer encrypted tools to access cloud data. 

5.2 Network Accessibility

When multiple devices try to get access to the same cloud resources then it results in a usage limitation on the internet network. 

As a result, the service remotes enabled by cloud robotics may stop functioning if the internet connection crashes during the schedule and maintenance time.

5.3 Speed Of Robots

Cloud-based robots may exhibit different levels of speed in the same device. Such as when the cloud network is busy, the robots might be slower than expected.  

As a result, manufacturing companies have to modify the automated process as per the present slow speed of the tasking performing robots. 

5.4 Edge Analytics

With the emergence of edge analytics, the users of cloud robotics have found an alternative to cloud-based robots. 

When the cloud network becomes slow then edge analytics can be used to provide the robots to get the information that they require to do tasks. 

However, this would lead to greater dependence on the hardware. Cloud Robotics was developed to make better use of network intelligence.

Bottom Line

Cloud robotics are the future and will generate a lot of revenue and employment in the world. 

A recent analysis has shown that the market of cloud robotics is estimated to be worth $7.52 billion in 2021. Also, the market of cloud robotics is estimated to reach $43.73 billion by 2031.

The market of cloud robotics is rapidly growing. Various major companies in the information technology field (I.T) such as Amazon robotics, C2RO cloud robotics, Microsoft, Google, V3 smart technologies, Intel, IBM Corporation, Hit robots, and others have already started expanding their market share in the cloud robotics sector.  

This post might have given some an intermediate idea on cloud robotics. So, what are your thoughts guys on this new technology? 

New technologies are coming, and we are not far from a future where robots will operate all our daily tasks. Read this article on the new era of robots to learn how robots will affect the future. 

Last Updated on September 11, 2023 by Apeksha Soni