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Robotics and automation were recognised as critical enablers: improving efficiency and supporting more scalable, resilient and data-driven manufacturing. The challenge was to align sustainability and manufacturing around a shared technology vision.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The client needed more than a broad review of automation. They needed evidence of where robotics technologies were heading, which innovations were becoming commercially viable, and how comparable manufacturers were improving productivity, lead time and cost while reducing emissions.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Previous work had been too generic, reinforcing familiar ‘robots to cobots’ narratives rather than challenging it with actionable insight. The team also needed to avoid duplicating existing initiatives, navigate competing priorities and engage busy manufacturing stakeholders who would mobilise around a story grounded in operational value, not sustainability alone.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"If these challenges could be overcome, the opportunity was to build a shared technology vision across sustainability and manufacturing and equip the organisation with a roadmap for sustainable and scalable production.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"image","url":"https://images.prismic.io/outsmartinsight/hrH-QSfRdf0bJqpk_robotics.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=382%2C328%2C3471%2C2314&w=4200&h=2800","alt":null,"copyright":null,"dimensions":{"width":4200,"height":2800},"id":"hrH-QSfRdf0bJqpk","edit":{"x":382,"y":328,"zoom":1.21,"background":"transparent"}},{"type":"paragraph","text":"","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"heading5","text":"The Solution","spans":[{"start":0,"end":12,"type":"strong"}],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Outsmart designed a bespoke Trend Foresight study combining horizon scanning, expert insights, technical analysis and evidence-led technology assessment.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"We began by developing a structured taxonomy including fixed robotics, collaborative robotics, and autonomously reconfigurable robotics. We then assembled a bespoke team of experts from our global network with experience corresponding to the individual taxons in robotics and automation, mapping them to the most relevant taxonomy area.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"This multidisciplinary team scanned the landscape for recent  assessed innovations, assessing them for technical maturity, manufacturing applicability, sustainability impact and potential to improve productivity, resilience or production flexibility. In parallel, they identified senior leaders at both innovators and end users such as aircraft manufacturers, and end users for in-depth interviews, focusing on focusing on comparable organisations to ensure that insights were actionable for the client.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Experts then mapped the innovations to Outsmart’s three horizon framework: business, engineering, and scientific horizon. This approach distinguished technologies already deployed in industry from emerging engineering solutions and early-stage scientific breakthroughs, giving stakeholders a clear view of current opportunities and future capabilities.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"To maximise relevance and impact, we developed the publication collaboratively with the client’s sustainability and manufacturing teams. Outsmart interviewed the client’s head of manufacturing and manufacturing technology leads, ensuring internal perspectives were featured in the final deliverable. This strengthened stakeholder buy-in, created internal social proof and recognised existing innovations within the business.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The final study combined this analysis with an executive-level summary that synthesised the individual inputs into a narrative for senior leaders, helping to create internal momentum and highlighting the implications of cross-cutting adoption drivers, enabling technologies and technology dependencies.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"image","url":"https://images.prismic.io/outsmartinsight/lAyWieX5IvXbfPtY_robotics2.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=460%2C340%2C3414%2C2276&w=4200&h=2800","alt":null,"copyright":null,"dimensions":{"width":4200,"height":2800},"id":"lAyWieX5IvXbfPtY","edit":{"x":460,"y":340,"zoom":1.23,"background":"transparent"}},{"type":"paragraph","text":"","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"heading5","text":"Technology Highlights","spans":[{"start":0,"end":21,"type":"strong"}],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"list-item","text":"Autonomous welding software: A Canadian robotics scale-up uses machine vision and AI to monitor the weld pool and dynamically adjust welding performance, with reported shipbuilding applications achieving up to 5x productivity gains.","spans":[{"start":0,"end":28,"type":"strong"}],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"list-item","text":"Mobile collaborative robotics: A US-based company is developing cobots that cover both logistics and assembly operations, even within cleanrooms.","spans":[{"start":0,"end":30,"type":"strong"}],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"list-item","text":"Autonomous reconfiguration via digital twins: Multiple organisations are using simulated factory environments to train robots before a plant becomes operational, with anticipated energy savings of more than 30%.","spans":[{"start":0,"end":45,"type":"strong"}],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"heading5","text":"The Value and Impact","spans":[{"start":0,"end":20,"type":"strong"}],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For the sustainability team, the work provided a broad and long-term view of the future potential for robotics and automation to reduce emissions. This assured them that nothing had been missed and helped to calibrate the speed of adoption, while providing an evidence base for sustainability benefits that carried weight as it came from peer organisations. ","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Beyond that awareness, the project delivered a wider organisational benefit: it deepened the partnership between sustainability and manufacturing. As a result of the collaboration, the client planned specific sustainability manufacturing programmes for the following year, turning the study into a springboard for practical internal initiatives.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"}]}},"slice_type":"rich_text_content"},{"id":"f5b2c361-eddc-53bf-9b76-aecd978d4b85","primary":{"cta_button_link":{"url":"/contact/"},"cta_button_text":"Contact us","cta_description":{"text":"Our team is ready to help you navigate the deep tech ecosystem and find the partners to help your organisation gain a competitive edge."},"cta_title":{"text":"Contact us"}},"slice_type":"call_to_action"}]}},"allPrismicCustomerStory":{"nodes":[{"data":{"summary":{"text":"Outsmart Insight helps NEOM’s ocean science and solutions applied research institute inspire scientists to join the cause"},"title":{"text":"Launching a research institute with a future-focused event"},"listing_image":{"alt":null,"url":"https://images.prismic.io/outsmartinsight/KER94ZrO9JeFhHI7_0_1-1-.png?ixlib=gatsbyFP&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max&q=50"}},"url":"/customer-stories/future-of-ocean-sensing/","tags":["Case Study","Futorial"]},{"data":{"summary":{"text":"How Outsmart helped a G20 coral restoration initiative identify and engage industry partners to scale up globally"},"title":{"text":"Building the global innovation ecosystem for coral restoration"},"listing_image":{"alt":null,"url":"https://images.prismic.io/outsmartinsight/dk13_a29H0kayQdd_outsmart_httpss.mj.runo9fS6hvL9HY_httpss.mj.runwUaxs4GMBds_co_022ca0c1-85f7-4061-9d22-e8b7ba04f84b_0.png?ixlib=gatsbyFP&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max&q=50"}},"url":"/customer-stories/coral-restoration/","tags":["Case Study","Ecosystem Scouting"]},{"data":{"summary":{"text":"Outsmart Insight turned horizon scanning insight into a hands-on workshop that inspired and connected technologists, helping them imagine the future and translate it into internal entrepreneurship"},"title":{"text":"Bringing emerging technology futures to life for defence engineers"},"listing_image":{"alt":null,"url":"https://images.prismic.io/outsmartinsight/593CmjwnZ2eqhQBW_0_1-3-.png?ixlib=gatsbyFP&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max&q=50"}},"url":"/customer-stories/bringing-emerging-technology-futures-to-life/","tags":["Case Study","Futorial"]},{"data":{"summary":{"text":"How Outsmart Insight scanned the world's leading innovations across industries to help deliver a performance edge for Team GB at the Olympics"},"title":{"text":"Keeping a high-performance sports institute ahead of the field"},"listing_image":{"alt":null,"url":"https://images.prismic.io/outsmartinsight/XLz_v9jJsJO7Y7_X_outsmart_include_the_flag_for_great_britain_--ar_9151_--v_8.1_fcd16b25-eb4b-4291-aec0-4663a4f445d9_2.png?ixlib=gatsbyFP&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max&q=50"}},"url":"/customer-stories/high-performance-sports-institute/","tags":["Tech Radar","Case Study"]},{"data":{"summary":{"text":"How Outsmart Insight helped an aerospace and defence consortium understand how AI tools can be used to assist with the design, development and testing of critical software"},"title":{"text":"Hearing insider viewpoints on AI for high-assurance software"},"listing_image":{"alt":null,"url":"https://images.prismic.io/outsmartinsight/JXrr1Ph-ibSr6NJf_0_3.png?ixlib=gatsbyFP&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max&q=50"}},"url":"/customer-stories/hearing-insider-viewpoints-on-ai-for-high-assuranc/","tags":["Case Study","Insider Viewpoints"]},{"data":{"summary":{"text":"How Outsmart helped a G20 coral restoration initiative identify industry partners, and understand out what it would take for them to engage to scale up globally."},"title":{"text":"Helping coral restoration find the partners it needs to scale"},"listing_image":{"alt":null,"url":"https://images.prismic.io/outsmartinsight/ajvL7FbRV8_Qf0Fs_0_1.png?ixlib=gatsbyFP&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max&q=50"}},"url":"/customer-stories/helping-coral-restoration-find-partners/","tags":["Case Study"]},{"data":{"summary":{"text":"How Outsmart helped a G20 coral restoration initiative identify industry partners, and understand out what it would take for them to engage to scale up globally."},"title":{"text":"Helping coral restoration find the partners it needs to scale"},"listing_image":{"alt":null,"url":"https://images.prismic.io/outsmartinsight/ajvL7FbRV8_Qf0Fs_0_1.png?ixlib=gatsbyFP&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max&q=50"}},"url":"/customer-stories/cordap-case/","tags":["Case Study"]}]}},"pageContext":{"id":"f1bf0fd6-a1a5-5a5e-af9b-23664608b333","tags":["Case Study","Tech Foresight"]}},
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