Making Sense of the Robotized Pandemic Response: A Comparison of Global and Canadian Robot Deployments and Success Factors
It addresses the problem of lagging robotics adoption in Canada for pandemic response, which is incremental as it builds on existing global trends.
The paper examines the cautious adoption of robots in Canada's COVID-19 response compared to global deployments, highlighting the need for strategic investment in the Canadian robotics industry to enhance pandemic management and future crisis preparedness.
From disinfection and remote triage, to logistics and delivery, countries around the world are making use of robots to address the unique challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Robots are being used to manage the pandemic in Canada too, but relative to other regions, we have been more cautious in our adoption -- this despite the important role that robots of Canadian origin are now playing on the global stage. This white paper discusses why this is the case, and argues that strategic investment and support for the Canadian robotics industry are urgently needed to bring the benefits of robotics home, where we have more control in shaping the future of this game-changing technology. Such investments will not only serve to support Canada's current pandemic response and post pandemic recovery, but will also prepare this country to weather future crises. Without such support, Canada risks falling behind other developed nations that are investing heavily in hardware automation at this time.