Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics, on Wednesday laid out major trends in the global robotics market that are on display at the ongoing World Robot Conference 2024 (WRC) in Beijing, noting that China is playing a role in advancing the burgeoning industry.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Bill said global robotics is at a “very interesting stage” as she outlined five major trends she has observed in the sector.
“The first one is really the usage and putting robotics together with AI and this is really leveling up how we can use robotics both now and in the future. Another trend is the adaptation of cobots. That has been going on for a long time, but the robots can work hand in hand with people and also here doing new types of tasks and also being secure for people. Another trend that is a little bit newer is the mobile manipulators. So, putting the robots on a moving robot and also be there in the area of logistics and healthcare and so on. We see a lot of movements there,” she said.
“Then, the digital twin. And also here, all manufacturing sites are digitalizing more and more and by having digital twins with robots, we can simulate robots. We can also do it safer, more efficiently and optimize it, and also get it connected then to the rest of the factory. And finally, as we see here today, the humanoids and all the different technology that is coming with the humanoids. And it will be interesting to see how that will develop in the future,” Bill continued.
She also acknowledged that China has made fruitful achievements in the development and adoption of industrial robots.
“China has gone through a fantastic journey and I’m excited to see how this will continue. So, only 10 years ago there were about 60,000 industrial robots installed here in China and now it’s 290,000. And that means that it’s more than half of every industrial robot that is being installed. So, 52 percent is installed here in China. So, China is a huge market and a lot of development is happening in China is also one of the countries who firstly had an AI strategy for the country, which has helped a lot,” the expert said.
With over 400 professionals from home and abroad joining, the latest edition of the event, which will conclude on Sunday, is showcasing over 600 advanced robotic products.
Slew of emerging trends reshaping robotics sector globally: expert
