We have been emphasizing for the past year that robots really are coming to manufacturing and distribution. Again this year at the ProMat material handling show in Chicago in January, as we first saw at the off-year show in Cleveland in 2008, a variety of vendors are bringing interesting and viable robotic technology to bear for logistics operations, such as load moving and case picking (See Full ProMat 2009 Review.)

Then last week, I highlighted the predictions of futurist Jack Uldrich, who says a variety of technologies, including robotics, are rapidly gaining critical mass and will likely have a dramatic impact on our supply chains and businesses. (See Here Soon, Technology that will Dramatically Impact Supply Chains.)

So, I was not surprised to see an article today on the MIT Technology Review site that said sophisticated robots were now being developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) that they expect will be able to assist in the tending to injured soldiers on the battlefield. These robots will be able to conduct a variety of tests on the soldier, send data to medical personnel in real-time, and perhaps even performing tasks like putting on an oxygen mask. It is predicted this could help save the lives of many soldiers, and help doctors prioritize who needs to get back to treatment most rapidly.

The key seems to be in the rapid advances being made in “snakebots” – robotic arms that have a variety of “joints” in them that enable an incredible range of motion. In the application for soldiers, the snakebot (shown in graphic below) could literally be controlled by a doctor or medic remotely via a joy stick, and the machine would be equipped with a camera and a variety of other sensors to measure vital signs and processes in the injured soldier’s body.

The article says that snakebot technology is already seeing many applications, including automobile painting at Ford.

I really am a believer that we will see an accelerated rate of robot deployment in many areas of business and the supply chain over the next decade. I strongly recommend keeping up on the technology.

The full MIT Technology Review article can be found here: A Robomedic for the Battlefield.

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