Thematic Take

Powered by

Cyrus Mewawalla, Head of Thematic Intelligence, GlobalData

Foreword: Unlocking robotics’ full potential

At GlobalData, we define a theme as any issue that keeps a business leader awake at night.

Companies are impacted by multiple themes that frequently conflict with one another. What is needed is an effective methodology that reflects, understands, and reconciles these conflicts.

Our thematic research ecosystem is a single, integrated global research platform that provides an easy-to-use framework for tracking all themes across all companies in all sectors.

Viewing the world’s data by themes makes it easier to make critical decisions. Companies that invest in the right themes become success stories. Those that miss the essential themes in their industry end up as failures.

Robotics has a long history, but only relatively recently have conditions aligned to unlock its full potential. Those conditions are technological, economic, and demographic: 

  • Cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) enable robots to collaborate and access huge amounts of data uninterruptedly.
  • ​​​​​​​Automation is key to improving productivity across various sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics. 
  • Societies are using robots to care for older people and address shortages in the workforce.

Science fiction often speculates about robots that are virtually indistinguishable from humans. Yet, the most popular consumer robot is still a vacuum cleaner shaped like a disc. In factories and warehouses, human staff work alongside robots that are incredibly good at performing repetitive and dangerous tasks but do not look or behave like humans.

In the future, AI will allow robots to identify human emotions, and the field of soft robotics is developing robots from materials similar to those found in living organisms. There is a chance that one day, life will imitate art, and robots will look like people. If and when that happens, societies will face an ethical conundrum: what rights do we give non-human creatures that look like us? 

Go to article: Home | The vaginal microbiome in women’s health Go to article: Editor's letterGo to article: ContentsGo to article: Formacoat Company InsightGo to article: FormacoatGo to article: Mimotopes Company InsightGo to article: BriefingGo to article: News in NumbersGo to article: Latest NewsGo to article: Latest DealsGo to article: Project UpdatesGo to article: Trends & InsightGo to article: Alleima Company InsightGo to article: AlleimaGo to article: In DepthGo to article: The vaginal microbiome in women’s healthGo to article: Health hackers: why are medical device and patient platforms cybercrime hotbeds?Go to article: Telemedicine struggles to overcome diversity challenges in dermatology trials  Go to article: Q&A: Accenture’s Kenneth Munie on the impact of generative AI in life sciences  Go to article: The African IVD market will grow as African partnerships form to enhance IVD tesGo to article: Repsol Company InsightGo to article: Repsol Go to article: Carestream HealthGo to article: Thematic TakeGo to article: Thematic Take: contentsGo to article: Foreword: Unlocking robotics’ full potentialGo to article: An introduction to robotics Go to article: A history of robotics  Go to article: The impact of robotics on the medical devices sectorGo to article: Applications of robotics in the medical devices industryGo to article: Latest news: robotics in medical devices Go to article: Robotic surgery market shakes up with Medtronic’s HugoGo to article: Q&A with GlobalData thematic analystGo to article: Robotics: who are the leaders in surgical robots for the medical industry?Go to article: Leading medical companies in the robotics theme Go to article: Deal activity related to robotics in the medical device industry since 2020 Go to article: Robotics hiring trends in the global medical device industry since 2020 Go to article: Robotics patent applications in the global medical device industry since 2020Go to article: Mentions of robotics in medical device industry company filings since 2020 Go to article: GlobalData Thematic IntelligenceGo to article: Apple RubberGo to article: mdi ConsultantsGo to article: ListingsGo to article: EventsGo to article: Get ready for the Medical Device Network Excellence Awards Go to article: Buyer's GuidesGo to article: Next issue