The Shift from Robotic Arms to Autonomous Manufacturing Systems

MosChip Technologies is a leading semiconductor and system design services company specializing in delivering next-generation digital engineering solutions. With deep expertise in chip design, embedded systems, and AI/ML integration, MosChip empowers industries to adopt intelligent automation across manufacturing, automotive, consumer electronics, and industrial IoT sectors. The company's robust portfolio spans AI-powered edge computing, sensor integration, and real-time decision-making systems, enabling clients to future-proof their operations with smart, scalable, and connected solutions. As a trusted innovation partner, MosChip is at the forefront of building Industry 5.0 and beyond—where human-robot collaboration, digital twins, and AI-driven robotics reshape the factory floor.

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In an exclusive conversation, Nikita Kumari spoke with Rakesh Nakod, Principal Engineer at MosChip, to explore how robotics is evolving from fixed automation to intelligent, AI-powered systems on the factory floor. Rakesh shared insights on the rise of collaborative robots, digital twins, and agentic AI in manufacturing. He also highlighted how AI-driven robotics is enhancing precision, productivity, and safety through real-time decision-making, predictive maintenance, and worker augmentation. With technologies like edge computing and GenAI accelerating the shift toward self-optimizing factories, Rakesh offered a compelling vision of Industry 6.0—where robotics and humans work in symbiosis to redefine manufacturing efficiency and innovation.

How has the role of robotics evolved in manufacturing, from simple automation to intelligent decision-making systems?

A decade ago, robotics was all about simple and fixed automations. Robotics was all about mechanical arms with PLCs, which had limited sensing. These were all hard-coded and did repetitive tasks endlessly. They had limited sensing of their environment and were less adaptive. People in that era, around 1970 to 1990, used these robots extensively in the production lines of automobiles, consumer electronics.

Then came an era of fixed-function automated robotics, which had improved sensing of their work environment thanks to the integration of multiple sensors like cameras, proximity sensors, etc. They evolved from being hardcoded to responsive. Sensors and machine vision began to augment robots, enabling real-time adjustments in quality inspection, material handling, and product sorting. Then, in 2005 around with IoT & cloud platforms picking up pace, it allowed more connectivity between robotic applications, giving an early glimpse of smart manufacturing.