Top Robotics News of 2021

As 2021 comes to an end, it's time to take a step back and take a retrospective look at the events of the past 12 months. Once again, this was a tumultuous year full of plenty of chaos and challenging events for everyone. However, the innovation and ability of the robotics industries again proved to be a light in the darkness. Whether it was helping to battle the ongoing COVID epidemic or just providing hope and wonder with its creations and innovations, the robotics industry again shows that the spirit of knowledge and science remains strong even in the face of tremendous worldwide obstacles. 

So, let's take a trip back through memory lane and unpack the last year in robotics, revisiting all the trends the previous year presented us!

Pandemic Helpers

• From Nikkei, a profile of SoftBank-run robots helping Grab (a food app) make deliveries. 

• The Takeout created a slideshow showing 11 ways robotics are affecting the food takeout industry.

• WoodTV.com details the story of Tally, the robot, helping to stock shelves in a supermarket.

• The Verge took a look at autonomous food delivery developments for Miami, Austin, and Washington, D.C.

The "Hub" of Robotics

Total Recall

Innovations Galore

• From SyFy (of course), IEEE Spectrum, Digital Trends, Interesting Engineering, Futurism, and Boing Boing, the ice robots are here! 
• A new "tattoo bot" got coverage in PCMag, Futurism, Design Boom, the New York Post, and Nerdist.
• A robot that looks through walls got profiled in RoboHub, Engadget, The Robot Report, Extreme Tech, SlashGear, and New Atlas,

Saying Goodbye to 2021

Those are just a few of the big stories we saw throughout 2021. As we move into 2022, it's important to remember the positive things that robotics gives us. The spirit of hope, faith, innovation, and discovery is at the heart of robotics; it's that sort of commitment that helps to make the world a better place. When that exists (no matter where it is found or why it occurs), the world is a much better place for it, even in a time that might seem bleak and sad. Let's let the spirit of innovation and creativity light the way into next year.

One final note for everyone: we'd just like to take the opportunity to give you a giant, massive "thank you" for all the support over the year. It's been our distinct pleasure to deliver this news and these insights to you, and we can't wait to see what next year has in store. 

Best wishes and happy holidays from everyone at the RobotShop team - and be sure to follow our monthly issues of this blog for more news from the industry throughout 2022!