Robot workers are being hired at record rates in US companies - here's why

Robotics development has long prompted concerns that machines will take jobs from humans, but, in the US, robot orders have hit an all-time high as many companies struggle to recruit staff. Factories and industrial concerns in North America ordered a record 29,000 robots during the first nine months of 2021, a 37% increase on the previous year, according to the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). Fixed-function robots have become a common feature of factory production lines, helping to manufacture everything from cars to food products. Alongside this, advances in autonomous technology have helped fuel a global robot boom with widespread applications ranging from AI-enabled mechanical fryers to autonomous industrial plant inspection units.