Robots and the Workplace of the Future designed to make so-called ‘last-mile deliveries’ in cities that are cost-inefficient for trucks and vans. The robots move autonomously, but a human controller is available to step in if they get stuck. The goods can be unlocked by the recipient by phone. The use of these robots has already been approved in Idaho and Virginia with legislation pending in other US states (The Guardian 2017), (Wired 2017 ). ROBOTS IN HEALTHCARE Robots are used across the healthcar e supply chain, from drug testing and manufacturing, to logistics and finally to patient treatment and care. The healthcare sector is experiencing huge productivity pressure across these areas. The move to precision - and personalised medicines bring the sa me high-mix, low volume challenges faced by manufacturers. Robots improve productivity in drug production by performing repetitive tasks requiring high precision in drug testing and medical analysis. Hospitals run huge logistics operations and will benefit from many of the developments in the logistics sector automating the transport and delivery of goods. The application of robots in patient treatment, particularly surgery, continues to expand. Ageing populations will put healthcare services under massive strain. Robots will increasingly be used to assist healthcare workers in hospitals in tasks ranging from lifting, to rehabilitation and daily tasks such as dressing. Robot assistants will help elderly people live independently, supporting telepresence int eraction with physicians and caregivers and providing information, reminder and emergency monitoring services. The use of robots in the healthcare sector is increasing across the whole healthcare supply chain, from drug discovery to patient and elderly care. Productivity improvements are vital in this sector to cope effectively with the rapid growth in ageing populations – not only are there more older people due to demographics, we also now live longer due to advances in healthcare. According to IFR data, sales of medical robots increased by 23% in 2016 compared to 2015 to over 1,600 units, accounting for a share of 2.7% of the total unit sales of professional service robots. The IFR estimates that sales of medical robots (covering surgical, diagnostic, rehabilitation and ‘other’) will reach $1.8 billion in 2018 and $7.7 billion in the period between 2018 and 2020 (IFR 2017). Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly turning to personalised, or precision, medicines targeting specific symptoms or genetic profiles, in contrast to the broad-spectrum drugs we have been used to. In many respects this mirrors the broader trend in manufacturing from high-volume, low mix to low-volume, high-mix production. In the pharmaceutical industry, low-volume can literally mean suitable only for one person13. Productivity improvements are 13 For example, a new type of cancer treatment, known as chimeric antigen receptor cell therapy or Car-T, involves extracting a person’s white blood cells and engineering them in a laboratory over several weeks so they can identify and attack cancer. Currently, the treatment costs an estimated $150,000 per person. Logistics costs are also high - Car-T treatments must be transported within highly controlled temperatures. They cannot be repurposed if sent to the wrong hospital. (Financial Times 2017). March 2018 Positioning Paper 12