The future of robotics: intelligent, adaptable and collaborative

By McKinsey & Company · July 2, 2026.

This email, signed by Dorothee Herring and Steffen Fuchs, global leaders of McKinsey's Industrials practice, introduces a new edition of its 'The Next Normal' series focused on the future of robotics.

The central message is that robots are beginning to move beyond factories and warehouses into a variety of everyday settings. As more companies start adopting general-purpose robots, the challenge is less about what the technology can do and more about how people and machines can work together effectively.

In this edition, McKinsey explores where robots are already gaining ground and how the broader robotics landscape could evolve in the coming years.

The email also highlights a related piece titled 'The age of thinking machines: Perspectives on the future of robotics', which argues that AI's next frontier is physical: embodied intelligence, in the form of robots, could change the way we live and work by 2040.

The email is mainly promotional and directs readers to the full articles on McKinsey's website, without going into further detail in the body of the message on specific use cases, figures or concrete examples.