Often referred to as the ‘jewel in the crown of industry’, industrial robots have become one of the most important indicators of technological maturity and economic competitiveness, alongside investment in research and development, and advanced manufacturing processes. Thanks to their versatility and reconfigurability, their role in modern plants is not limited to the automation of repetitive operations. They are also the foundation of production flexibility.
In an era of rapidly changing customer requirements, this is becoming a key factor in maintaining a market advantage.
However, while this potential is theoretically unlimited, it encounters practical barriers related to the need for ongoing control, programming, and adaptation to complex applications. In rapidly changing production environments, this requires advanced monitoring and integration systems.
Another important area is the safety and reliability of robots. As their use in production halls increases, these issues are becoming strategic priorities in maintenance.
Monitoring both operational parameters and diagnostic aspects is currently a prerequisite for the effectiveness and sustainability of investments in robotisation, making it a central element of modern factory management.
Maintenance costs and losses resulting from equipment failure account for 30% to 40% of production costs in companies. How can these losses be reduced?
Online robot monitoring involves collecting control and machine status parameters, as well as fault and monitoring information from the industrial robot’s external sensor. Based on this historical operating data, the ‘baseline health’ of the robot is determined. It is important to continuously monitor these machines to ensure they are operating correctly. Major robot manufacturers offer software options that facilitate remote monitoring of their condition.
Remote monitoring of industrial robots
According to a study entitled Industrial Robotics Market Summary by Grand View Research, forecasts indicate that the global industrial robotics market will reach over USD 60 million by 2030. This represents an average annual growth rate of 9.9% between 2025 and 2030, which clearly shows that manufacturing companies view automation and control systems as a key part of their development strategy.. This growth necessitates the introduction of increasingly advanced technologies to support the maintenance and optimisation of robotic workstations.
In this context, the remote monitoring and control of robots is becoming particularly important. Until a few years ago, this was seen only as an additional function, but it is now the foundation of modern strategies for maintaining production continuity.
System integrators, who have direct contact with companies investing in robots, are well aware of the repetitive nature of fault diagnosis – from attempting to solve the problem with the customer over the phone or via video conference to time-consuming service visits, which often incur high costs and delay the restoration of machines. When an integrator has several customers reporting failures simultaneously, the traditional service model becomes ineffective and the risk of production losses increases in proportion to the time needed for travel and physical intervention.
Technological advances in remote access robotics and edge computing are changing the status quo: modern solutions enable integrators to perform full diagnostics and remote troubleshooting without being on site.
Features such as remote robot recovery eliminate service travel costs almost entirely and reduce response times to a minimum, resulting in faster machine recovery. In practice, this means that integrators can serve more customers at the same time without compromising on service quality, while manufacturing companies benefit from shorter downtimes and reduced financial losses. An important added benefit is that integrators can now take on more complex and advanced projects, which previously would have required enormous amounts of time and resources. Thanks to remote tools, these projects can now be carried out efficiently and without geographical barriers.
From a business perspective, the benefits are therefore multidimensional, ranging from reducing operating costs and increasing the efficiency of human resources to building a competitive advantage based on responsiveness and the quality of support provided. For industrial plants, remote monitoring and control of robots provides access to immediate technical assistance at a fraction of the previous cost, while minimising the risk of serious downtime. In highly automated environments, such downtime can generate losses amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars per day. For integrators, on the other hand, remote monitoring and control of robots is a real panacea for time and logistical constraints. It allows them to grow their business, increase their scale of operations, and support their customers more comprehensively.
As remote access robotics technologies evolve and integration with edge computing systems becomes standard, remote monitoring and control of industrial robots will become a necessity and a natural stage in the development of an industry in which the efficiency, speed, and precision of technical support are key to gaining a competitive advantage.
Summary
Over the past 30 years, robots have become increasingly prevalent in industry, particularly in the automotive and electrical/electronic sectors. Scientific and technical improvements since the early 1970s have contributed to their widespread use, and industrial robots now play a key role in modern smart factories. They perform a wide range of tasks, including material handling, picking and placing, product packaging, inspection, palletizing, precision assembly, machining support, and additive manufacturing operations.
Industry 4.0 has transformed almost every industrial sector, and the adoption of new digital and cyber-physical technologies has changed the way manufacturing facilities operate. Manufacturers now expect them to produce parts at minimal cost and to be able to quickly adapt their design to changes in production capacity and functionality. Manufacturing is moving towards customising products to meet individual needs and constant market changes. To achieve maximum productivity and quality, automation devices and smart machines must be able to easily reconfigure their tasks and work together effectively.
One of the main challenges of Industry 4.0 is adapting to engineering changes while supporting different hardware and software platforms and maintaining an appropriate level of robustness, safety and reliability of equipment throughout the process.
Most industrial robots currently in use are completely dependent on their manufacturers’ software platforms, and robot programming is based on the specific, proprietary languages offered by each robot supplier. This makes it difficult to maintain or update them, or to add new functionalities based on current production needs. Furthermore, the lack of interoperability complicates the development of collaborative multi-robot control for robots from different manufacturers.
Manufacturing facilities looking to improve efficiency should seek partners who can offer flexible machine maintenance support to ensure smooth operations. Today’s highly automated factories are already controlled by robust systems that require little or no human intervention.
