Applications of Robotics: Industry, Aerospace, Healthcare, Military, Agriculture, Disaster Response
Science & Technology › Materials Science, Nanotechnology and Robotics · Topic 15.9
Robots are used wherever work is repetitive, precise, dangerous or in places people cannot easily go. In industry, arms weld, paint, assemble and pack, and car and electronics factories use the most. In aerospace, robots build aircraft, inspect engines and explore space, as with rovers and robotic arms on satellites and the space station. In healthcare, surgical robots such as the da Vinci system give minimally invasive precision, and robots help rehabilitation, disinfection and delivery in hospitals. In the military, unmanned ground, air and underwater vehicles disarm bombs and survey the battlefield. In agriculture, robots plant, spray, weed and harvest. In disaster response, robots search rubble, enter nuclear plants and fight fires. India uses robots in all these areas, from DRDO's Daksh to ISRO's Vyommitra.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Science & Technology · Materials Science, Nanotechnology and Robotics
At a Glance
- Industry Welding, painting, assembly
- Health da Vinci surgery
- Military Bomb disposal, Daksh
- Space Rovers, Vyommitra
- Farm Weeding, harvest
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Science & Technology: Materials Science, Nanotechnology and Robotics
Where Does It Fit?
This topic follows the classification of robots. It shows how each type is put to use in major sectors and leads on to artificial intelligence, which is the main driver of robot capability today. Previous topic: Classification of Robots: Rolling, Walking, Autonomous Robots. Next topic: Artificial Intelligence: Concepts and Applications.
Where Are Robots Used in Industry, Aerospace and Healthcare?
| Sector | Applications |
|---|---|
| Industry | Welding, painting, assembly, packaging, material handling and quality inspection. The automobile and electronics industries are the biggest users. Collaborative robots help small firms |
| Warehouses and logistics | Mobile robots move goods, sort parcels and pick items in e-commerce centres |
| Aerospace | Robots drill and rivet aircraft bodies, inspect engines, and in space, rovers and arms work on the Moon, Mars and space stations. India’s Pragyan rover worked on the Moon in 2023 |
| Surgery | Systems like da Vinci let a surgeon control tiny instruments through small cuts, with steady hands and 3D view. Indian hospitals and indigenous systems such as SSI Mantra are used |
| Rehabilitation and care | Exoskeletons help paralysed patients to walk, and robots assist the elderly |
| Hospital logistics | Robots carry medicines, disinfect rooms with ultraviolet light and reduce staff exposure, as seen in COVID-19 |
| Laboratories | Automated pipetting and testing systems speed up research |
How Are Robots Used in Military, Agriculture and Disaster Response?
- Bomb disposal: tracked robots with arms and cameras defuse explosives, such as Daksh of the Defence Research and Development Organisation
- Unmanned vehicles: drones and ground and underwater vehicles for surveillance, logistics and combat
- Military exoskeletons: to carry heavy loads for soldiers
- Agriculture: robots plant seeds, spray precisely, weed with cameras, milk cows and harvest fruit; drones spray pesticide under the Namo Drone Didi scheme of 2023 for women self-help groups
- Search and rescue: snake robots and tracked robots enter rubble after earthquakes, as used in the Turkey earthquake of 2023
- Hazardous work: robots enter nuclear power plants, mines, tanks and sewers. Kerala firm Genrobotics made the Bandicoot robot for manual scavenging
- Firefighting: robots can reach fires in tunnels and chemical plants
- Underwater work: remotely operated vehicles inspect oil rigs, pipelines and shipwrecks, and India’s Samudrayaan Matsya 6000 will carry people
What Else Should You Remember?
- Daksh: a remotely operated vehicle for handling explosive devices, developed by DRDO and used by the Indian Army and police
- Vyommitra: ISRO’s half humanoid for the uncrewed Gaganyaan mission
- Pragyan: a six wheeled lunar rover on Chandrayaan-3
- Bandicoot: a robot that cleans sewer manholes, intended to end manual scavenging
- Namo Drone Didi: a scheme to give drones to 15,000 women self-help groups for agricultural services
- Production Linked Incentive for drones: a scheme for drone manufacturing started in 2021
- Automation in Indian industry: India has far fewer robots per worker than leading countries
- Benefits: speed, precision, safety and ability to work non-stop
- Job impact: automation can displace routine jobs while creating roles in design and maintenance
- Cost: high capital cost limits use by small firms
- Space robots: Canadarm on the space shuttle and the station is a famous robotic arm
- Telesurgery: remote surgery over networks needs fast and reliable links, as in 5G
- Humanoid in factories: several firms test humanoids for logistics
- Food and retail: robot chefs and delivery robots are being tried
- Education: Atal Tinkering Labs introduce school students to robotics
- Ethics: use of armed autonomous robots is debated at the United Nations
- Link: thinking ability of robots comes from Artificial Intelligence: Concepts and Applications
- Robot density metric: the International Federation of Robotics counts industrial robots per 10,000 manufacturing workers each year
- Mining and construction: robots drill, survey and lay bricks, and remote controlled machines work in unsafe mines
- Robotic process automation: software bots handle office tasks such as forms and invoices, a non-physical kind of automation
Why Does It Matter for the Exam?
- Examples: Daksh, Vyommitra, da Vinci, Bandicoot
- Sectors: six sectors in the topic title
- Schemes: Namo Drone Didi, drone PLI
- Current affairs link: humanoid robots and drone schemes
- Common errors: crediting Daksh to ISRO or Vyommitra to DRDO
As an analytical point, robots raise productivity and protect workers from danger, but also change jobs. India must pair automation with skilling, so that gains are shared and manual scavenging and other hazardous work end.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Uses Six sectors
- India Daksh, Vyommitra
- Issue Jobs and ethics
What Came Next?
The next topic covers artificial intelligence: concepts and applications. Next topic: Artificial Intelligence: Concepts and Applications.
Key People and Terms
- Daksh DRDO bomb disposal robot
- Vyommitra ISRO half humanoid
- da Vinci Surgical robot system
- Exoskeleton Wearable support frame
- Cobot Collaborative robot
- ROV Remotely operated vehicle
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Daksh: DRDO; Vyommitra: ISRO.
- Namo Drone Didi: 2023.
- Drone PLI: 2021.
- Pragyan: 2023.
- Bandicoot: Genrobotics, Kerala.
Do Not Confuse With
- Daksh and Vyommitra Bomb disposal versus space humanoid
- Drone and robot Flying robot is a drone
- Cobot and industrial robot Works with humans versus fenced
Memory Hook
Daksh disarms, Vyommitra flies, Bandicoot cleans, da Vinci cuts.
Mains Angle
Questions ask for named examples and sector uses. These points help.
- Uses Sectors
- Benefits Safety, precision
- Concerns Jobs
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Examine the applications of robotics in different sectors and discuss their social and economic implications for India.”
How to Answer
- Sectors Uses.
- Examples Indian cases.
- Benefits Safety.
- Concerns Jobs, ethics.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main applications of robotics?
Robots are used in factories for welding, painting and assembly, in healthcare for surgery and rehabilitation, in space for rovers and arms, in the military for bomb disposal and surveillance, in agriculture for planting, spraying and harvesting, and in disaster response for search and rescue in places unsafe for people.
What is Daksh?
Daksh is a remotely operated robotic vehicle developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation to find, handle and destroy bombs and explosive devices. It has a manipulator arm and cameras, and has been used by the Indian Army, paramilitary forces and police for bomb disposal.
How are robots used in surgery?
In robotic surgery, the surgeon sits at a console and controls tiny instruments and a 3D camera inserted through small cuts. The system filters hand tremor and allows precise movement, which means less blood loss and faster recovery. The da Vinci system is the best known, and India has made its own systems.
How are robots used in agriculture?
Agricultural robots and drones can sow seeds, spray fertilisers and pesticides only where needed, remove weeds using cameras, monitor crops and harvest fruit. They save labour and inputs. India's Namo Drone Didi scheme of 2023 gives drones to women self-help groups for spraying services.
How can robots help in disaster response?
Robots can enter collapsed buildings, burning areas, nuclear plants or flooded zones that are unsafe for humans. They carry cameras, sensors and sometimes supplies to find survivors and map damage. Snake like and tracked robots were used in search and rescue after earthquakes such as the one in Turkey in 2023.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Daksh is a robot developed by DRDO for bomb disposal.
A remotely operated vehicle.
2 Vyommitra is a robot developed for the Chandrayaan mission.
It is for Gaganyaan.
3 Surgical robots are controlled by a surgeon at a console.
They are teleoperated.
4 Namo Drone Didi supports women self-help groups.
With drones for agriculture.
Past Mains Questions on This Topic
This topic comes under Materials Science, Nanotechnology and Robotics. UPSC Mains questions asked on the matching syllabus topic, year-wise with marks:
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