Robotic arms are generally dedicated to specific tasks at a fixed location. Glacier Robotics is an example. The company’s arms move to sort and pick through trash.

However, they’re mounted to a fixed base, while the robotic arm contains multiple joints acting as axes that enable a degree of movement.

Robotic arms can also be attached to mobile robots, such as aerial, ocean, and ground robots. In any event, robotic arms are a central form factor in robotics.

Ground robots (terrestrial robots) are land-based systems that use wheels, tracks, or legs to move around.

Not only can they collect a wide range of high-resolution data, but they can also collect cargo by picking fruits or collecting waste, for example.

These robots can also transport said cargo. They have multiple applications in the development context. In agriculture, for example, robots can precisely apply fertilizers and pesticides, optimizing resource usage and reducing environmental impacts.

Ground robots can also accelerate the construction of more sustainable buildings by reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions while improving passive thermal performance.

Humanoid robots are legged, bipedal ground robots. Their form factor resembles that of human beings, hence the name humanoids.

While humanoid robots have been an active area of research for well over 20 years, recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence coupled with hundreds of billions of dollars in investments suggest that humanoids may become commercially available to select industries by 2030.

That said, experts are still debating about the need for and commercial variability of humanoids. Some argue that humanoids are an ideal form factor because we’ve built the physical world to accommodate our form factor as humans. Others maintain that walking robots are far less efficient than wheeled robots.

Related to this debate is the ongoing discussion on the commercial viability of general-purpose robots versus single-purpose (or special-purpose) robots. 

Item dessome are designed to float on the surface (sometimes called autonomous surface water vehicles), while others dive underwater (underwater robots).

Like ground robots, aquatic robots can use a range of sensors for data collection and testing. They can inspect glacial lakes for flood prevention and repair hydroelectric infrastructure, maximizing renewable energy production.

They can also transport and release cargo such as seaweed. One challenge with underwater robots is that GPS and WiFi don’t work underwater. That said, recent innovations in this space may overcome this challenge.cription

An essential aspect of this discussion is the operation of robots in structured versus unstructured environments. 

Conventional robotics technology is geared towards structured environments where the conditions are (more or less) under control.

For example, lighting conditions, the locations of objects in the environment, and obstacles around the robot can be controlled to a degree for industrial robotics tasks.

In contrast, these parameters often vary drastically in mobile robotics applications. Most recent advances in robotics and Generative AI are targeted towards making robots more robust and capable in unstructured settings.

As this capability increases and robots learn increasingly quickly, the number of use cases for global development will expand significantly.iption

Some relatively recent trends in robotics include a growing interest in Sustainability Robotics, that is, using alternative, climate-friendly materials and energy sources to build and power robots, which is why the field includes a strong focus on bioinspired robotics and soft robotics.

Bioinspired robotics mimics nature to design more efficient solutions, while soft robotics builds machines out of flexible, malleable materials designed to mimic biological movements.

Sustainability Robotics also prioritises the design and deployment of robotics in noninvasive ways while placing equal emphasis on making more robotics generally accessible.

Lastly and relatedly, Climate Robotics focuses on the inclusive, responsible, and sustainable use of robotics to scale climate action, sharing the same design principles as Sustainability Robotics.