Trends Identified
Role of government
Governments will be compelled to respond to the many grand challenges arising in the future in a context marked by mounting fiscal pressure, eroding public confidence in government and the continuing transition to a multipolar world, with the consequent potential for growing instability.
2016
OECD Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook 2016
OECD
Robots on the farm
Farming has the potential to become far more resource-efficient and environmentally friendly on existing farmland, given the prospects for greater automation using_x000B_AI, robotics and sensors. Flying drones could monitor large fields more quickly and precisely. With information from these drones, as well as that provided by satellites and sensors, automated tractors and sprayers could apply water, seeds, pesticides and nutrients in more targeted and timely ways. This precision could further be enhanced through nanomaterial-based, slow-release pesticides and insecticides. Robotic pickers will continue to emerge and, in time, be able to harvest more types of crops. Automated agriculture could make indoor agriculture more viable in regions where the impact of climate change is degrading arable land, food supply and reliability.
2013
Metascan 3 emerging technologies
Canada, Policy Horizons Canada
Robots for traditional and undersea resource acquisition
Drones and robots will play a growing role in prospecting and extracting in both traditional and undersea mining, particularly in situations that are remote, difficult or dangerous. The operators of these robots may live in urban locations with their families and never set foot on-site. Operators could live in different me zones around the world, enabling round-the-clock production without major disruptions to their personal and family lives.
2013
Metascan 3 emerging technologies
Canada, Policy Horizons Canada
Robots
Electro-mechanical machines or virtual agents that automate, augment, or assist human activities, autonomously or according to set instructions.
2017
Innovation for the Earth - Harnessing technological breakthroughs for people and the planet
PWC
Robots
Electro-mechanical machines or virtual agents that automate, augment or assist human activities, autonomously or according to set instructions — often a computer program.
2016
Tech breaktroughs megatrend
PWC
Robotics
Physical systems of automation, including driverless cars
2016
Disruptive technologies barometer
KPMG
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, opera on and application
of robots and related computer and control systems. Robots help with or take the place of humans
in dangerous environments or manufacturing processes, and/or resemble humans in appearance, behaviour or cognition. Increasingly, robots are designed to act in roles complementary to humans.
Today, experimental robots can inventory stock, move loads, pick berries, do housework, perform elder care, sense remotely and create a virtual presence. As their AI improves, they will get smarter and more capable. Robot hardware is improving quickly; the challenge is the so ware – the intelligence behind the machine that allows it to function in a specific manner. Task-specific robots could do tasks as diverse as surgery, cooking and driving. Businesses will continue to be early adopters of robot technology, with home use following as prices decline and features become more competitive.
2013
Metascan 3 emerging technologies
Canada, Policy Horizons Canada
Robotics
Robotics, under which we include both advanced robotics increasingly able to augment humans in the workplace and traditional robotics, in which machines reproduce repetitive human actions, as well as autonomous and near-autonomous vehicles
2019
Tech for good
McKinsey
Robotics
Robots are machines with enhanced sensing, control, and intelligence used to automate, augment, or assist human activities. The robot market, which has grown for industrial applications, is poised for growth in a broad range of services applications. These applications are transforming manufacturing and non-manufacturing operations with new capabilities that address the challenges of working in changing, uncertain, and uncontrolled environments, such as alongside humans without being a danger to them.
2017
The Essential Eight - Your guide to the emerging technologies revolutionizing business now
PWC
Robotic Process Automation Ramps Up
RPA has, for many years, been used to automate very simple, repetitive business tasks. However, owing to advances in machine learning algorithm modelling, RPA software systems can be trained to automate a wider set of tasks than ever before. This effectively enables a workforce of software agents to manage dynamic data inputs. Previous processes to automate a task involved creating APIs for third parties that can enable the creation of physical actions to execute. In contrast, RPA systems leverage the application’s Graphics User Interface to observe and then mimic the process through robotics. This level of automation can deliver a new degree of efficiency as tasks that were typically time consuming and repetitive, which could thus be automated. Introducing it will also reduce costs and minimise operational errors in business practices. However, its biggest strength lies in its ability to leverage existing systems, rather than requiring a complete overhaul of existing infrastructure. Juniper expects that the public sector will find the greatest benefits from RPA – providing time and cost saving efficiencies that will enable public bodies to offer citizen-centric services. With industries such as manufacturing and financial services investing in RPA solutions, key development focus will be towards more effective machine learning algorithms to increase automation levels. This is in addition to machine learning as a mechanism for defending against new security vulnerabilities introduced by RPA as a result of agents’ ability to access and process across multiple systems. SAP announced their intention to push AI and cloud-based RPA services in late 2018; joining incumbent players including Automation Anywhere, OpenSpan and Blue Prism. Juniper anticipates that in 2019, we will see a number of service providers continuing to invest in AI-based RPA services; releasing solutions that will further drive down cost of adoption. . Related Research: Banking Automation & Roboadvisors: Cost Analyses, Impacts & Opportunities 2018-2022
2019
Top Tech trends 2019
Juniper Research