Robotics is the application of science, engineering, and technology to create machines called robots that mimic or substitute for human actions. Robots have always fascinated pop culture, with examples including R2-D2, the Terminator, and WALL-E. These exaggerated, humanoid robot concepts are usually a caricature of the real thing. But are they more foresighted than we realize? Robots are gaining cognitive and mechanical abilities that do not rule out the possibility of an R2-D2-like machine in the future.

Robots will become smarter, more flexible, and energy efficient in the near future as these technologies advance. They’ll also remain a key focus in smart factories, where they’ll tackle more difficult challenges and help secure global supply chains.

The robotics industry is full of admirable promises of progress that science fiction could only dream about a few years ago. Robots will be found performing tasks that humans could never dream of doing alone, from the deepest depths of our oceans to thousands of miles in outer space.