The robotics landscape is shifting dramatically as we close out 2024. Autonomous mobile robots are transforming warehouse operations, drone delivery networks are expanding across the UK's skies, and collaborative robots are increasingly common on factory floors. Yet despite these advances, the UK continues to lag behind its G7 counterparts in robotics adoption, with just 119 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees - less than half the density found in comparable European economies.
This gap between potential and reality makes 2025 a crucial year. While emerging technologies like AI are creating new possibilities for robotics applications across industries, many technical and practical challenges remain unsolved.
As we look ahead, several key developments are poised to accelerate the integration of robots into our workplaces, homes, and public services.
1. Advanced humanoid dexterity breakthroughs
If we are to see the mass adoption of humanoid robots in industry and society, we need them to be more dexterous, moving beyond basic pick-and-place operations to execute a wider range of complex tasks.
We sometimes underestimate just how complex and miraculous the human body is, taking for granted simple tasks like picking up a thread and feeding it into a needle. Robots are not currently equipped to perform these delicate tasks, but I expect significant progress next year.
Several promising platforms are set to debut in 2025, among them the Figure 3 which features “advanced dexterity” and is designed for high-rate manufacturing deployment. Already more than 100 humanoid robot models have been produced across the world. The real test, of course, will come when they are deployed at scale which we might happen by the end of next year.
I was interested to read about Agility Robotics’ new strategic partnership with Schaeffler AG, a global leader in motion technology, to “integrate [humanoid] technology into our operations and see the potential to deploy a significant number of humanoids in our global network of 100 plants by 2030.”
The race is very much on.
2. AI-powered educational robotics go mainstream
From serving as interactive tutors to maintaining vital school connections for children with medical needs, 2025 will mark the year educational robots move from experimental pilots to widespread adoption.
One of the first sectors in which we'll see larger deployments of robots is home-based education, with sophisticated robots powered by Large Language Models (LLMs) becoming available to private customers in 2025.
We're already seeing promising results - in the Wirral, Merseyside, AV1 robots are helping children who struggle with school attendance by providing emotional support through microphones and emoji expressions, improving local attendance rates by 21%. In Twickenham, a young cancer patient named Howard uses an 'AV Howard' robot to attend lessons remotely, with classmates helping to integrate the robot into daily school life - showing how this technology can maintain crucial social connections during difficult times.
3. Task-specific AI models drive performance
Rather than relying on general-purpose AI, in 2025 we can expect robots becoming more efficient through the implementation of task-specific AI models.
One of the complications slowing the adoption of robotics is that they need to be retrained with new data for every new place they encounter, which can become very time-consuming and expensive. Robots need to be quickly adaptable to their environments; if they can open a door in your home, they have to know how to open a door everywhere else.
Task-specific AI models will make robots more accurate and efficient, and I would expect to see research being done by the likes of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as private enterprises such as all the humanoid manufacturers, to bear fruit over the coming months.
4. Privacy-first design takes centre stage
As AI-enabled robots become more prevalent in our homes and workplaces, 2025 will bring increased focus on privacy-conscious robot design.
Robots unquestionably have a role to play as companions, but relationships are built on trust, so potential users need to feel safe in the company of a social robot. Too often in the past, in the finance industry for example, counter measures are implemented only after data theft or leaks when personal information has already been misused, so integrating ethical principles in the design process of autonomous robots is of vital importance.
This is a complicated area. What does a robot do if it ‘thinks’ sharing its users' private health information will save their life, but the user does not want their loved ones to know that level of detail? This is a real issue in the development of home monitoring systems, the use of which is growing rapidly.
Regulation is part of this, but I expect ethical design to be the topic of conversation in robotics for the foreseeable future.
5. Standardisation becomes critical for scaling
A critical development for 2025 will be the emergence of clearer industry standards and frameworks for robotics development and deployment.
The UK's Health and Safety Executive is already working with the British Standards Institution to develop clear standards around collaborative robots in manufacturing, and similar initiatives are emerging worldwide such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Humanoid Robot Study Group that will share its landscaping insights with standardisation organisations next year.
We'll see increased focus on creating standardised approaches to robot safety validation, human-robot interaction protocols, and interoperability requirements. This collaboration between industry, academia, and regulatory bodies will be essential for scaling up robotics deployment while maintaining public trust and safety.
Looking ahead
There have been false dawns in robotics before, but if the innovators and designers deliver on their promises, I believe 2025 may well be a turning point in the history of human-robot interaction. The convergence of specialised AI, advanced manipulation capabilities, and growing market demand creates ideal conditions for significant progress.
Success will depend not just on technological advancement, but on our ability to thoughtfully integrate these systems into society while addressing legitimate concerns about privacy and safety. For engineers and technology leaders, the challenge now is to bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and practical deployment - but the potential rewards, both economic and societal, make this effort worthwhile.
Dr Ingo Keller, head of Robotics at The National Robotarium
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