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Mobile robot applications such as order fulfillment require purpose-built robots such as CarryPick. Source: Swisslog Thanks to cheaper sensors, advanced navigation software and communications, and growing user awareness, deployments of mobile platforms grew last year. 2020 will be no different, as developers refine mobile robot applications in manufacturing, retail, customer service, and more. Broadly speaking, autonomous mobile robots can carry out a variety of tasks with a minimum of human input, and many are designed to operate safely around people. Amazon’s Kiva robots are a well-known example. They play a crucial role in the e-commerce giant’s order-fulfillment process, zooming around company warehouses to find products and bringing them to the necessary drop-off stations. Thanks to these market-defining robots , Amazon can fill more orders faster than ever before, with a remarkable degree of accuracy. 2020 is sure to be an incredible year for robotics adoption, especially for mobile platforms. Amazon will be using 120,000 robots by the end of this year, and the global market for mobile robots will surpass $3 billion, predicts Ash Sharma, research director at Interact Analysis. Here are just some of the places where one can expect to see mobile robots in 2020. 1. Mobile robot applications in medical facilities Nurses and other medical professionals spend a lot of time running back and forth around medical facilities, doing things like tending to patients, grabbing supplies, and answering doctors’ calls. Mobile robots can alleviate much of this legwork. They could move patients, gather and transport supplies, assist with surgical procedures, and even disinfect rooms. Robots could reduce the amount of tedious tasks, reduce workplace strain and injuries, and ensure more consistent quality of care. For instance, the Texas Medical Research Innovation Institute in Houston has tested ABB’s YuMi collaborative robot as a roving laboratory technician . […]