The benefits of embracing robotics in manufacturing are clear, with firms standing to gain enhanced efficiency and safety.

The global robot-to-human ratio in the manufacturing industry for example is still only one robot for every 71 people as of early 2024, but these numbers are beginning to change quickly.

With their bright blue bases, yellow gears, and exposed circuit tops, the 3D-printed robots look like a child’s toys. Yet as a roughly two-dozen-member collective, they can flow around obstacles ...