In 2050, our city streets hum with electric chargers, while drones zip through the air on delivery missions. With AI and robotics at the helm, the dynamics between humanity and machines have shifted. But what does the future hold for factories? B. Turgut Ulutürk, CEO and co-founder of Bottobo, offers a glimpse into the next quarter-century.
Manufacturing landscapes are on the brink of a profound transformation, as pioneering technologies redefine production methods. Rather than relying on mere speculation, we can draw insights from current innovations to forecast the future. Here, he outline some pivotal technological trends that will revolutionize manufacturing over the next quarter-century:
Human-like Cobots
We are already in the era of collaborative robots. By 2050, robots demonstrate remarkable proficiency in navigating real-world environments and handling a diverse array of 3D objects. Unlike their predecessors confined to rigid movements, this new generation boasts enhanced dexterity and adaptability. They excel in swiftly adapting to novel scenarios and tackling dynamic challenges, drawing from their experiences and exchanging knowledge thanks to ultra-fast wireless internet speeds and vast data gathered from sensors.
These robots possess the capability to swiftly recognize objects, assess situations, and determine appropriate actions in near real-time, facilitating more human-like responses. The "Social Navigation" project, funded by Tübitak, is one of the steps we have taken in this direction for our robots.
Automated Warehouses
In the upcoming decades, automation technologies will spearhead a pivotal shift in the warehouse sector, automating processes related to storage, retrieval, and distribution of goods, thereby revolutionizing traditional practices.
Future factories are expected to integrate automated warehousing systems, leveraging robots, AI, and advanced logistics management to boost efficiency. This integration not only optimizes inventory handling but also paves the way for lights-out manufacturing, where factories autonomously operate around the clock.
Incredibly Cheap and Clean Energy
By the early 2040s, solar and wind power dominate energy provision globally. Solar energy costs plunged by 82% and wind energy by 46% between 2010 and 2020, now constituting only a quarter of their early 2020s expenses. Surplus energy from renewables is efficiently utilized for various purposes, slashing costs for water, materials, manufacturing, and computation. Switching to clean energy reduces over 50% of greenhouse gas emissions, the leading cause of climate change.
Quantum Computing
It has the potential to revolutionize technology much like how mobile phones have surpassed workplace computers in just 30 years. In another 25 to 30 years, quantum computing could render today's AI obsolete, paving the way for systems surpassing human intelligence in numerous aspects.
