Since their invention, robots have been helping humans in manufacturing and other industries be more efficient and have safer processes. Over the past several years, modern technology has offered immersive platforms using augmented reality (AR) for media and gaming. But the two are now merging where the field of augmented reality is beginning to change the face of robotics.

When it comes to robots, bigger may not be better. Someday soon, tiny robotic “bugs” might help people with medical issues, search for survivors in a collapsed building, or diagnose a problem in your factory. Here is what you need to know about these tiny robots and how they could be poised to revolutionize the industry.

If you’ve ever watched a school of fish move through the water, you know that it’s a marvel of nature. Scientists have noticed this as well and set up experiments using something called synthetic microswimmers. What they discovered was that material can be directed through a fluid fairly rapidly when the swimmers work together. This has some interesting implications for healthcare and a variety of other applications.

The growing interest in a new field known as soft robotics comes from the potential of these systems to address problems that can’t be solved by robots built from rigid materials. Many innovative solutions have been developed over the past several years to design soft systems and components. Here is some insight into the growing field of soft robotics and how these solutions can impact humans.

Barcodes have been a standard in most industries for decades. But other technologies have challenged the efficiency and usefulness of barcodes. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology is the main challenger. While both solutions are well suited for certain applications, there are many advantages of RFID over barcodes that are worth considering.

When voice technology was first introduced with the launch of Siri more than a decade ago, few people could have anticipated how this novel feature would become such a driver for innovation. Today, more than a quarter of U.S. adults own a smart speaker (Amazon Echo, Google Home, etc.), and eMarketer predicts that roughly 92 percent of smartphone users will be using voice assistants within the next year.

When the supply chain is asked to be more sustainable or energy-efficient, most eyes go directly to the transportation industry. After all, carriers and shippers tend to use fleets of vehicles that burn up a ton of fossil fuels.

RFID is an incredibly versatile technology, with applications from one end of the supply chain to the other. Short for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), these tags and readers save and transmit data through radio waves about an item, such as a product #, expiration date, manufacture date, temperature, and more.

Automation offers a wide range of benefits for warehouses, from better supply chain visibility to boosting productivity and efficiency to reducing labor-related hazards and risks. But implementing automation takes some effort and resources, so many businesses have put off this important transition for as long as possible. For those that still haven’t made the switch, here is why now may be the right time to automate your warehouse.

When people think of warehouse automation, they picture a futuristic operation where robots do all the work and humans are left either with nothing to do or trying to save the world from evil machines. Neither vision could be further from reality.