Verdict lists the top five terms tweeted on robotics in Q3 2020, based on data from GlobalData’s Influencer Platform. The top tweeted terms are the trending industry discussions happening on Twitter by key individuals (influencers) as tracked by the platform.

1. Artificial Intelligence – 5,981 mentions

The possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI) exceeding human performance and robots being used in innovative ways were popularly discussed in Q3. According to a video from the World Economic Forum shared by Ronald van Loon, a top technology influencer, robots are likely to overtake humans in almost everything such as translating languages, writing essays, driving a truck, and more. The video highlights how AI will transform sectors such as retail, healthcare and insurance, and eventually outperform humans in all tasks in the next 45 years.

Dr Marcell Vollmer, a social media enthusiast, meanwhile, shared a video on how a café in Dubai is completely operated by AI-driven robots. The café has robots preparing the food, hot drinks, and even delivering the preparations to customers. Sarah Hachem, project manager and engineer at DGWorld, has been working on the $2m project for a year and half. She opines that the most important advantage of robots during a global pandemic is hygiene, safety, and minimum human intervention.

In other discussions, Harold Sinnott, a social media and digital marketing consultant, shared a video on how robots are being used to disinfect malls in Singapore with ultraviolet (UV) light. Experts believe it is one of the ways to integrate all technology into mobile robots to fight the COVID-19 situation.

2. Machine Learning – 3,217 mentions

Understanding the basics of machine learning, technology innovations in machine learning and the benefits of machine learning in managing dark data were popularly discussed topics in Q3. According to an article shared by Vinod Sharma, a digital transformation leader, machine learning is currently one of the most interesting topics. Clarifying, demonstrating, and extracting real values from the technology were more important. Basic knowledge of machine learning, therefore, should be embedded in the culture of every organisation, the article noted.

In terms of innovation, Fabrizio Bustamante, an entrepreneur, shared a video on a low-cost and easy to assemble robot called Solo 8. Developed by Tandon School of Engineering and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) Germany, the bot can jump, walk, and recover position and posture even if overturned. The bot features efficient motion optimisation algorithms, which may be difficult to implement on a more heavy or complex robot, experts opine.

Ronald van Loon also tweeted about how machine learning can help unearth dark data or untapped data, the benefits of which are being avoided by businesses. With almost 80% of data being classified as dark data, there is immense information for businesses to leverage, monetise, and analyse to achieve maximum advantage, the article suggested.

3. IoT – 2,824 mentions

The rate of adoption of robots and a timeline of emerging science and technology were popularly discussed during the quarter. According to an article shared by Antonio Grasso, a digital entrepreneur, the frequency of robot adoption will depend on the robot required for a particular use case. For instance, an Accenture Labs examined use case scenarios of robots across industries.

The sophistication of robots will continue to increase because of growing investments, the study noted. The new generation of connected and flexible robots have increased capabilities, allowing machines to perform tasks with more efficiency.

Other discussions on internet of things (IoT) involved principal data scientist Kirk Borne’s tweet on a timeline created with several visual frameworks for emerging science and technology. The framework highlights how the IoT exceeds 50 billion devices today and will probably exceed one trillion devices after 2030. Some of the emerging technologies mentioned in the visual include insect-sized surveillance robots.

4. Innovation – 1,302 mentions

The innovative uses of robots across industries and their ability to perform complex tasks were popularly discussed in Q3. For instance, Evan Kirstel, a top B2B influencer, discussed about Japan building the largest humanoid robot, weighing 25 tonnes. The 18m tall Giant Gundam robot is being tested for different kinds of behaviour and is expected to be launched in October this year, the article noted.

Among other discussions, Fabrizio Bustamante, an entrepreneur, shared a video on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) having designed an interface that uses natural human reflexes to complete tasks using robots and stay balanced. The objective of the researchers is to understand how humanoid robots can be deployed in disaster situation scenarios.

5. Robotic Process Automation – 1,042 mentions

Intelligent automation and how robotic process automation (RPA) is booming were popularly discussed in Q3. According to an article shared by Kirk Borne, intelligent automation often encompasses RPA, AI and business process automation (BPA) and addresses the automation needs of an enterprise. The article details how RPA is a key part of real intelligent automation, where complex processes are automated in the most optimal way and even tracked against its outcomes. The article adds that RPA can save time for enterprises if implemented effectively.

Other discussions surrounding RPA included the growth in the RPA software market in an article shared by Antonio Grasso. According to the Everest Group research, the RPA software market was experiencing exponential growth, rising from a $700m market in 2018 to more than $1bn in 2019.