According to one recent study, there were about 12 million industrial robotic units operating worldwide as of 2020. The same source indicated that the robotics industry in general employs approximately 150,000 people across the globe, mainly in engineering and assembly positions. When you also consider the fact that about 88% of all businesses say that they’re already planning to adopt robotic automation at some point for their own infrastructures, it’s easy to see why this is all something that is well worth paying attention to.
While you can get a bachelor’s degree in a field like Mechatronics or Industrial Engineering, often times there are certificate and training programs available to adequately prepare people for work in this field. Those paths could vary from a traditional four year university or an accredited community or technical college. The experience in problem solving, training, and supplemental engineering skills will certainly be a benefit, but aren’t necessarily required for those wanting to just be a coding programmer.
Training for Robotics Skills: An Overview
The skills necessary to work with robotics tend to fall into one of a few key areas, though they will obviously vary depending on the needs of the business in question.
Chief among these is computer aided drafting and design, otherwise known as CAD. Here, robotics engineers work to build and improve upon the blueprints that these robotics systems use to begin with. They’ll use 3D modeling software to create the types of plans and schematics that industrial robots use throughout the course of their duties.
Robotics engineers in particular are also directly involved in the construction of these industrial robots. These days, professionals often employ 3D printing solutions and similar techniques to construct robots as efficiently – and as cost-effectively – as possible.
Finally, research and development skills are also essential for any robotics engineer working in the field today. More often than not, these types of sophisticated robotics systems will depend on extensive modifications over time to best take advantage of the environments they’ll actually be operating in. No two industrial areas are created in quite the same way, and in order to maximize their potential within a given space professionals will need to combine critical thinking, communication and other skills to solve challenges on-the-fly.
In addition to getting a bachelor’s degree, a wide range of different robotics engineering training programs are available to adequately prepare people for their work in this field. Throughout the course of their training, students will develop a deep understanding of not only the fundamentals of engineering and automation principles but also programming, mathematics, process control and even statistics, among others.
But regardless of the specific business or even the area where the robots will be operating, the core goal of these robotic skills remains the same. Highly trained, passionate and forward-thinking professionals are attempting to create systems that execute tasks more efficiently than humans could on their own. The aim isn’t to necessarily replace human employees, however. In fact, it’s quite the opposite – these systems are needed to support and empower humans as they go about their business.
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