Dive Brief:
- Automated sewing has made its debut at Sewbo on Thursday when the robot sewed together a T-shirt, a long term project that could have a major impact on industrial sewing, according to a press release.
- Automated sewing uses stiffening fabrics that allow the robot to maneuver the material more easily, much like cardboard, Engadget reports. When the garment is complete it is dropped into hot water to remove the “non-toxic polymer stiffener.”
- Sewbo devised its sewing robot by teaching an industrial robot to operate the standard consumer sewing machine.
Dive Insight:
The sewing sector is expanding into the clothing manufacturing industry beyond robots. The fashion industry is beginning to use 3D printers to instantly create custom designs for home or store use. Now, anyone can design custom fabrics with a 3D printing robot, and for those who preferred sewn goods, Sewbo may have just launched an automated compromise.
But, hold on. Robots are also making their way into the kitchen. Your next pizza may have be have been created and put into the oven by a robot. The pizza making machine was debuted at Mountain View’s pizzeria, Zume, by a tech firm looking to disrupt the food industry. This fall, the startup is working to roll begin deliver pizzas made on route to the customer. The truck will have 56 ovens to make for delivery before it returns to the kitchen.
Although it will still be a while before Robots can operate with the detail and artistry of a chef, robots are increasingly becoming integral to the supply chain and a recent report by Forrester estimates robots will spark the loss of 6% of U.S. jobs by 2021. However other reports emphasize that robots require humans to teach and maintain so perhaps jobs will evolve rather than be entirely lost.
