Dive Brief:

• Global sales of industrial robots reached a record 248,000 last year, a 12% increase year over year, according to the International Federation of Robotics. U.S. sales expanded by 3% to 27,000.
• The rise reflects an ongoing industrial automation boom: Industrial robot sales have more than quadrupled since 2009, the federation says.
• By 2018, some 2.3 million robot units will be deployed on factory floors — double the 1 million deployed robots in 2009.

Dive Insight:

Robots are increasingly entering factory floors in various forms. A previous report from the Association for Advancing Automation recorded more than 14,500 robot orders during the first half of this year, valued at $817 million.

However, a recent report adds that robots will not replace humans' vital jobs as the most efficient machines, according to GEP, are those working alongside humans. The difference is that operators must now learn to manage and repair the machines, adapt to wearable technology or engage with complex software.