The Internet of Things (IoT) connects physical objects—from everyday items to complex machines—via the internet. These IoT devices collect and exchange data to trigger actions and create intelligent systems.
The IoT has immense significance for the definition of robotics: it expands robots, especially modular robots (e.g., from a robot construction kit), into intelligent, data-driven actors. The IoT enables robots to better perceive their environment, be remotely controlled and monitored, and integrate seamlessly into larger, automated processes. In short, the Internet of Things (IoT) gives robots eyes and ears far beyond their own sensors.
The core components of the Internet of Things in the robotics ecosystem
A functioning IoT system in robotics is based on four pillars that must work together perfectly.
- Sensors & Actuators: IoT sensors are the sensory organs of the robot. They detect conditions such as temperature, position, humidity, or visual data using cameras, which forms the basis for vision-based automation. Actuators are the muscles that act on the basis of this data—these include end effectors such as grippers, motors, or entire robot arms that perform an action.
- Connectivity: A stable connection is required to ensure data flows smoothly. IoT technologies such as Wi-Fi, 5G, Bluetooth, and LoRaWAN connect IoT devices to the network. Low latency (delay time) and high bandwidth are particularly important in robotics, for example in remote control (teleoperation), where every millisecond counts.
- Data processing & intelligence: The collected data must be processed. There are two approaches here: edge and cloud. With edge computing, the data is processed directly on the robot or in its immediate vicinity. This enables lightning-fast reactions, which are essential for autonomous navigation or gripping processes. With cloud computing, huge amounts of data are sent to central servers. This is where AI models are trained, long-term data is analyzed, and entire robot fleets are managed.
- User interface & analysis platform: This is where humans interact with the system. Specialized IoT software visualizes the data on dashboards and enables remote control or mission planning. Such platforms also often greatly simplify the underlying programming of the robots.
Application examples: IoT and robotics in action
The combination of IoT and robotics creates powerful IoT solutions in many different industries.
- Industrial robotics (Industry 4.0): In the networked factory, IoT sensors on the robot arm report wear at an early stage, even before an expensive failure threatens. It hardly matters whether these are classic industrial robots or collaborative systems, as the comparison between cobots vs. robots shows. A robot can communicate the completion of a component directly to the next station in the production line – for example, in machine tending automation, the automation of a milling machine, or a lathe with a robot.
- Logistics & warehousing: A central fleet management system tracks and coordinates hundreds of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in real time, which perform tasks such as palletizing with robots. Inventory robots independently scan shelves and send inventory data directly to the merchandise management system.
- Agriculture (smart farming): Autonomous agricultural robots use IoT sensors to collect data on soil conditions and plant health. Based on this real-time information, they adjust irrigation or fertilization for each plant individually.
- Healthcare & Care Robotics: Care robots equipped with sensors enable remote monitoring of patients and raise the alarm in case of irregularities. Automated pharmacy systems dispense medication and automatically report inventory levels via the IoT.
- Service robotics (smart city & smart home): Inspection drones monitor infrastructure such as bridges or wind turbines and stream the data to a central analysis platform. In the smart home, the vacuum robot coordinates its operation with other networked devices.
Advantages: Why the combination of IoT and robotics is a game changer
- Increased autonomy: Robots respond intelligently to real-time data from their entire environment.
- Improved efficiency: Optimized processes through data-driven decisions help counteract the shortage of skilled workers and increase productivity.
- Proactive maintenance: Remote monitoring and predictive maintenance minimize downtime and reduce costs.
- Valuable insights: Robots become mobile data collectors that enable in-depth analysis.
- Easy scalability: Large fleets of robots can be managed centrally and easily.
Challenges and risks on the path to networked robots
- Cybersecurity: Protection against hacker attacks is crucial to maintaining control over robots and sensitive data. General laws and principles of robotics must also be observed in order to automate processes securely.
- Data management: The huge amounts of data (big data) generated by robot fleets must be stored, processed, and analyzed efficiently.
- Interoperability: It must be ensured that IoT devices and robots from different robot manufacturers can communicate smoothly with each other.
- Complexity: The integration of hardware, IoT software, and network infrastructure requires a high level of technical expertise.
Future trends: Where the journey is headed
Looking ahead reveals the future of manufacturing and how the combination of IoT and robotics is driving further exciting developments. One key trend is Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS). At the same time, systems are becoming increasingly intelligent. Self-learning systems, powered by AI and machine learning, use the flood of IoT data to continuously improve the capabilities of robots. Another groundbreaking development is the digital robot twin: based on real-time IoT data, exact virtual images of robots and their working environments are created. Beyond robotics, the IoT is also used in connected vehicles, home technology, and wearables such as smartwatches, which are equipped with modern software and other technologies.
IoT: From tool to intelligent partner
Overall, the Internet of Things is not just a technological extension for robotics, but a fundamental transformation. This is the next logical step in the history of robotics. Like a central system, the IoT connects sensors, actions, and data analysis into a powerful whole. Through this networking, robots are evolving from mere tools to proactive partners. Those who understand the potential of the IoT often find the perfect entry point into robotics and actively shape the next level of automation with robots.