The initiative, launched today, aims to make UK businesses early adopters of robotics and autonomous technology to boost productivity and economic growth. The hubs, located in areas including Newcastle, the South West, Milton Keynes, and South Wales, will provide practical support and expert advice to organisations looking to integrate these advanced systems.
Innovations supported include robotic surgical assistants designed to make procedures less invasive, leading to quicker patient recovery times and faster returns home. In the agri-food sector, automated fruit-picking machines are set to significantly reduce the time taken for harvests, allowing agricultural workers to focus on other tasks to maximise production.
Minister for AI, Kanishka Narayan, highlighted the potential impact, stating, "Quicker recovery for patients, more time for businesses to focus on the work that makes a real difference, and more food on our tables. That’s the impact cutting-edge robotics technology can have up and down the country."
The programme seeks to address the gap in adoption, as estimates suggest robotics and autonomous systems could add £150 billion to the UK economy by 2035 if maximised. The hubs will demonstrate how robotics can tackle real-world challenges across various sectors, including healthcare, farming, manufacturing, logistics, and transport.
Specific projects include a hub in the South East focusing on waste and recycling automation, and work in Milton Keynes to support the rollout of service robots, drones, and driverless vehicles. These initiatives involve collaborations between universities, research institutes, local authorities, and businesses.
Bruce Adderley, Director of Advanced Manufacturing at Innovate UK, commented, "Robotics has an important role to play in improving productivity, strengthening public services and driving economic growth. These Robotics Adoption Hubs will provide a vital bridge between cutting-edge technologies and the organisations that can benefit from them."
The investment also includes £2.5 million for projects developing practical robotics training, apprenticeships, and workforce outreach to address the skills gap. These projects aim to equip workers with the necessary skills to operate and maintain new robotic technologies.
The eight new hubs include SHARP (National Surgical Robotic Adoption Hub), Greater Southwest Robotic Adoption Hub, HARVEST in Lincoln (agri-food sector), Milton Keynes Robotics Adoption Hub (Smart City), Hwb Llwybr Roboteg Cymru (HLRC) in Wales (manufacturing), National Waste and Recycling Robotics Adoption Hub, Yorkshire Robotics Adoption Hub (manufacturing), and South Wales Robotics Adoption Hub.
