Karel Capek invented the first robot in 1920. He called his invention an automaton, something like the self-moving machine. It could move around on its own and do things such as open doors and turn lights off and on. However, it had no sense of awareness or intelligence. Since then, many robotics companies have been created to expand on his original idea in endless amounts of applications.
What is robotics?
The term “robotics” can be used to describe the study of robots or refer to a specific branch of engineering that deals with the design and construction of robots. This article will use the latter definition, as it deals with companies using robotics applications to generate revenue.
Robotics has become increasingly important over time. Today, robots are found everywhere, from factories to hospitals to spaceships. As technology improves, robots will likely get even better at performing their tasks. The following are some examples of how robots have improved people’s lives:
Robots help us learn more about our world. For example, scientists use them to explore volcanoes and search for life on other planets. They also help us understand the human body better. Scientists use robots to test surgical tools and procedures. Finally, robots help protect us from danger. Some robots are built to help police officers patrol dangerous areas. Others guard against threats like fires and floods.
Mainly, robotics is used in commercial, industrial and consumer applications to improve efficiency, remove the human element and increase productivity.
Investing in robotics stocks in Canada
There are not many Canadian robotics companies, but one that stands out is MDA.TO.
Most robotics companies are from the US or Europe with Canadian subsidiaries. This makes sense because most of the research and development takes place there. Also, the Canadian government provides tax breaks for R&D.
Robotics is a growing industry but it is capital intensive. There are growth opportunities in the short to long term between tech innovations and the growing market cap of larger companies.
Robotics Stocks to Watch
*Descriptions sourced from: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/
MDA Ltd. – MDA.TO
MDA Ltd. develops and manufactures space technology systems. The company offers geo-intelligence solutions that provide satellite-generated imagery and analytic services to deliver critical and value-added insights in the areas of national security, climate change monitoring, and commerce. It also offers robotics and space operations that enable humanity’s exploration by providing autonomous robotics and vision sensors that operate in space and on the surfaces of the moon and mars. In addition, the company provides satellite systems and spacecraft to enable space-based services, including space-based broadband internet connectivity from low earth orbit satellite constellations. Future, it offers products and services of defence intelligence systems. It serves space companies, contractors, and government agencies worldwide. The company was formerly known as Neptune Acquisition Holdings Inc. and changed its name to MDA Ltd. in March 2021. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Brampton, Canada.
Rockwell Automation Inc. – ROK:NYSE
Rockwell Automation, Inc. provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in the United States and internationally. The company operates in three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services. The Intelligent Devices segment offers drives, motion, safety, sensing, industrial components, and configured-to-order products. The Software & Control segment provides control and visualization software and hardware, information software, digital twin and simulation software, and network and security infrastructure solutions. The Lifecycle Services segment offers consulting, professional services and solutions, and connected and maintenance services. The company sells its solutions primarily through independent distributors with its direct sales force. It serves discrete end markets, including automotive, semiconductor, warehousing and logistics, and other discrete markets, as well as general industries comprising printing and publishing, marine, glass, fibre and textiles, airports, and aerospace; hybrid end markets, such as food and beverage, life sciences, household and personal care, and tire, as well as eco-industrial, including water/wastewater, waste management, mass transit, and renewable energy; and process end markets comprising oil and gas, mining, metals, chemicals, pulp and paper, and others. Rockwell Automation, Inc. was founded in 1903 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
iRobot – IRBT:NASDAQ
iRobot Corporation designs, builds, and sells robots in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, and internationally. It offers Roomba floor vacuuming robots, Braava family of automatic floor mopping robots, and Root robots to help children code. The company sells its products through distributor and retail sales channels and online stores and resellers. iRobot Corporation was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts.
Deere & Company – DE:NYSE
Deere & Company manufactures and distributes various equipment worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Production and Precision Agriculture, Small Agriculture and Turf, Construction and Forestry, and Financial Services. The Production and Precision Agriculture segment provides mid-size tractors, combines, cotton pickers and strippers, sugarcane harvesters, harvesting front-end equipment, sugarcane loaders, pull-behind scrapers, and tillage and seeding equipment, as well as application equipment, including sprayers and nutrient management, and soil preparation machinery for grain growers. The Small Agriculture and Turf segment offers utility tractors and related loaders and attachments; turf and utility equipment, including riding lawn equipment, commercial mowing equipment, golf course equipment, and utility vehicles, as well as implements for mowing, tilling, snow and debris handling, aerating, residential, commercial, golf, and sports turf care applications; other outdoor power products; and hay and forage equipment. This segment also resells products from other manufacturers. It serves dairy and livestock producers, crop producers, turf and utility customers. The Construction and Forestry segment provides a range of backhoe loaders, crawler dozers and loaders, four-wheel-drive loaders, excavators, motor graders, articulated dump trucks, landscape and skid-steer loaders, milling machines, pavers, compactors, rollers, crushers, screens, asphalt plants, log skidders, log feller bunchers, log loaders and forwarders, log harvesters, and attachments; and roadbuilding equipment. The Financial Services segment finances sales and leases agriculture equipment, turf, construction and forestry equipment. It also offers wholesale financing to dealers of the preceding equipment, extended equipment warranties, and finances retail revolving charge accounts. Deere & Company was founded in 1837 and is headquartered in Moline, Illinois.
Kraken Robotics Inc. – PNG.V
Kraken Robotics Inc., a marine technology company, designs, manufactures and sells software-centric sensors, batteries, and underwater robotic systems for unmanned underwater vehicles used in military and commercial applications. The company offers AquaPix Miniature interferometric synthetic aperture sonar (MINSAS), a configurable MINSAS, and SeaVision, an underwater laser imaging system. It also provides KATFISH, a towed underwater vehicle for high speed and high-resolution seabed mapping; ThunderFish, a hovering autonomous underwater vehicle; ALARS, an autonomous launch and recovery system that enable an unmanned vehicle and its payloads to be brought aboard to a host ship; and DataPod, a removable data storage module for marine applications. In addition, the company offers pressure tolerant encapsulated components, such as batteries, thrusters, actuators, electronics, and robotics, as a service. Finally, it implements digital signal processing and user interface software for anti-submarine warfare sonar applications. It has operations in Canada, the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company was formerly known as Kraken Sonar Inc. and changed its name to Kraken Robotics Inc. in September 2017. Kraken Robotics Inc. was incorporated in 2008 and is headquartered in Mount Pearl, Canada.
ABB Ltd. – ABB:NASDAQ
ABB Ltd manufactures and sells electrification, industrial automation, and robotics and motion products for customers in utilities, industry and transport, and infrastructure worldwide. Its Electrification segment provides electric vehicle charging infrastructure, renewable power solutions, modular substation packages, distribution automation products, switchboard and panel boards, switchgears, UPS solutions, circuit breakers, measuring and sensing devices, control products, wiring accessories, enclosures and cabling systems, and intelligent home and building solutions for integrating and automating lighting, heating, ventilation, security, and data communication networks. Robotics & Discrete Automation segments provide industrial robots, software, robotic solutions and systems, field services, spare parts, and digital services. This segment also offers solutions based on its programmable logic controllers, industrial PCs, servo motion, transport systems, and machine vision. Its Industrial Automation segment develops and sells industry-specific, integrated automation, electrification systems and solutions, and digital solutions, lifecycle services, and artificial intelligence applications for the process and hybrid industries. This segment also offers a process and discrete control technologies, advanced process control software and manufacturing execution systems, sensing, measurement, analytical instrumentation, electric ship propulsion systems, large turbochargers, remote monitoring, preventive maintenance, asset performance management, and cybersecurity services. The company’s Motion segment manufactures and sells drives, motors, generators, traction converters, and mechanical power transmission products. ABB Ltd has a strategic collaboration with IBM. ABB Ltd was founded in 1883 and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.
Ambarella Inc. – AMBA:NASDAQ
Ambarella, Inc. develops semiconductor solutions for video that enable high-definition (HD) and ultra HD compression, image processing, and deep neural network processing worldwide. The company’s system-on-a-chip designs integrated HD video processing, image processing, artificial intelligence computer vision algorithms, audio processing, and system functions onto a single chip for delivering video and image quality, differentiated functionality, and low power consumption. Its solutions enable the creation of video content for wearable cameras; automotive cameras; drones; virtual reality cameras; and internet protocol security cameras for professional use, and home security and monitoring, as well as robotics and industrial application, including identification/authentication cameras, robotic products, and sensing cameras. In addition, the company sells its solutions to original design manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers through its direct sales force and distributors. Ambarella, Inc. was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.
Omnicell Inc. – OMCL:NASDAQ
Omnicell, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides medication management automation solutions and adherence tools for healthcare systems and pharmacies in the United States and internationally. The company offers central pharmacy automation solutions, including automated storage and retrieval systems, such as XR2 Automated Central Pharmacy System, a building block of autonomous pharmacy vision; IV compounding robots and workflow management systems; inventory management software; and controlled substance management systems. It also provides a point of care automation solutions to improve clinician workflows in patient care areas of the healthcare system; XT Series automated dispensing systems for medications and supplies used in nursing units and other clinical areas of the hospital, as well as specialized automated dispensing systems for the operating room; Omnicell Interface Software that offers interface and integration between its medication-use products or supply products, and a healthcare facility’s in-house information management systems; and robotic dispensing systems for handling the stocking and retrieval of boxed medications. In addition, the company provides automated systems to help pharmacies in filling its multimed adherence packaging based on individual patient medication orders; single-dose automation solutions to fill and label for incoming prescriptions; semi-automated filling equipment for the long-term care institutional pharmacy; and medication blister card packaging and packaging supplies to enhance medication adherence in non-acute care settings. Further, it offers EnlivenHealth Patient Engagement, a web-based nexus of solutions. The company was formerly known as Omnicell Technologies, Inc. and changed its name to Omnicell, Inc. in 2001. Omnicell, Inc. was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
Azenta Inc. – AZTA:NASDAQ
Azenta, Inc. provides manufacturing automation solutions for the semiconductor industry and life science sample-based services and solutions for the life sciences market worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Life Sciences Products and Life Sciences Services. The Life Sciences Products segment offers automated ultra-cold storage systems and consumables, including racks, tubes, caps, plates, and foils; instruments, such as labelling, barcoding, capping, de-capping, auditing, sealing, peeling, piercing tubes, and plates. In addition, the Life Sciences Services segment offers genomic services and sample repository solutions, including on-site and off-site sample storage, cold chain logistics, sample transport and collection relocation, bio-processing solutions, disaster recovery and business continuity, and biospecimen procurement services, as well as project management and consulting; and informatics provides sample intelligence software solutions, which support laboratory workflow scheduling for life science tools and instrument work cells, sample, inventory and logistics, environmental and temperature monitoring, clinical trial and consent management, and planning, data management, virtualization and visualization of sample collections. The company was formerly known as Brooks Automation, Inc. and changed its name to Azenta, Inc. in December 2021. Azenta, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
Private Companies
Clearpath Robotics
Clearpath Robotics’ fleet of mobile robotic platforms enables researchers and corporations to accelerate their robotics research and development.
Boston Dynamics
Boston Dynamics is an American engineering and robotics design company founded in 1992 as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Boston Dynamics’ mission is to imagine and create exceptional robots that enrich people’s lives. Building machines that can approximate people and animals’ mobility, dexterity, and agility is a grand challenge.
What sectors are robotics related to?
There are many applications for robotics, but the main applications of robotics are the following;
- Commercial Automation
- Manufacturing
- Healthcare
- Self-driving, autonomous cars
- Consumer robots
- Aerospace & Military
Some related industries which complement robotics are;
- Artificial Intelligence
- Semiconductor production
- Tech sector
- Robots as a service
Robotics Companies in Canada
Another surgical robotic inventory on the list is Asensus Surgical, medical technology and robotics company specialized in developing solutions to improve the invasive performance of guided surgery. Smith & Nephew also has a surgical robot on its list with Navio Surgical Systems, with companies known for orthopedic reconstruction, advanced wound management and more.
The intuitive Surgicals da Vinci system has made the company a world leader and one of the best-known companies in surgical robotics. Intuitive surgical robots help surgeons and their teams perform more precise procedures, improving patient outcomes and recovery times. The application of robotic technology and the continued revenues after installing the Da Vinci robot make intuitive surgery one of the best long-term bets in health technology.
Ireland-based Medtronic, one of the world’s largest medical device companies, is next on the list of surgical robotics stocks. The last surgical robot on this list is Microbot Medical, a preclinical medical technology company.
The company is known for its efficient Roomba cleaning robot and Braava wipes product. Teradyne is improving its robotics equipment and is a top name in industrial automation technology.
Most ETFs track robotics companies in the artificial intelligence industry. Irobot (IRBT) is another company you will find in the emerging robotics ETFs. One of them we covered in an article entitled “Irobot: An IRBT Stock” is a pure game of smart home robotics.
Investing in robotics companies and stocks has been a lucrative move for years. The industry is up, especially in the automotive, healthcare and defence sectors. So it is a great time to invest in robotics stocks. Berkshire is a pure game of warehouse robotics among the companies flocking to the room.
Robotics shares come from companies involved in the design and construction of robots. Robotics is used in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Robotics is an engineering branch that includes the design, construction, manufacture and operation of a robot.
Robotics is an interdisciplinary field of research that combines computer science and technology. It is developing machines that can replace humans or mimic human actions. As a result, robotics stocks offer investors the opportunity to support technologies from which they can benefit, such as surgical robots, disaster response robots, and farm robots.
The performance of large automation and robotics stocks has been mixed, implying that it is too early for potential investment in the sector. However, potential investment gains could be significant for companies that make good use of robotics technology. Like many other industries and sectors, robotics stocks are expensive because of the high valuations associated with companies in the robotics industry.
The answer seems to be a giant leap in investment in process automation and robotics. Many start-ups are working on robots and factory automation, and many listed companies do it, which is great for retail investors who want to get involved in the sector.
The segment Robotics and Discrete Automation offer programmable logic controllers, industrial PCs, servo-motion transportation systems and image processing based on its programmable logic controllers. The Power segment comprises submarine propulsion equipment such as engines and batteries. In contrast, Cadence Design Systems Inc. (CDNS) is a software company whose products and platforms provide robots and automation solutions for various industries.
Ethical executives from Robotics and Process Automation (RPA) cited a study by McKinsey researchers that software can automate 60% of manufacturing activities, 43% of financial and banking processes and 36% of healthcare tasks. ABB ABBAS Company Summary ABB, formerly ABBuss, manufactures and distributes electrification and industrial automation products and robot drive products to customers in the utilities and transport infrastructure sectors. Develops industrial software solutions that enable automated robot processes.
It’s an exciting time to be involved in the robotics industry, but there’s still plenty of room to improve how robots work. However, companies stand out when developing software that enables accuracy and collaboration in robot design and process.
IRobot (IRBT) is a publicly-traded stock and a way to become in touch with consumer robotics for retailers. The Investing News Network has taken a closer look at robotics stocks to give investors an idea of some of the big names in the industry and some lesser-known companies working on product development. From the most widely used robot surgery company, CMR Surgical, which operates as a single company, Restoration Robotics and its hair transplant robot, to our favourite dividend stock, Johnson & Johnson, we’ve looked at the gimmicky names, therefore not worth investing in. Finally, we compiled a list of 6 robotic and surgical stocks for retail investors that are not worth investing in.
When the stock market rises, it’s nice to open your monthly portfolio statement and see how much your net worth has grown. Unfortunately, some products differ in their approach to portfolio building, which means that returns can fluctuate surprisingly much. If you want returns, you should look at exchange-traded funds that hold Canadian dividend-paying stocks.
After a considerable run, you can earn a dividend yield of 2.5 percent by investing in a large Canadian equity ETF. In addition, Wealthsimple Trades offers its clients the opportunity to buy a fraction of the shares of certain Canadian and US companies, making the stock’s market price unattainable for new investors.
The number of robots and automation companies will likely increase as more companies disrupt more industries. However, considering those robotics is a long-term trend, investing in the stock market requires patience.
