Chinese robots were in the spotlight at the 2024 World Robot Conference in Beijing. Heightened efforts are needed to strengthen international cooperation in the robotics industry, speed up the application of robots in a wider range of industries, and jointly build an efficient and stable robotics industry and supply chains, said officials, experts and company executives at the five-day 2024 World Robot Conference in Beijing. Xin Guobin, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology, said at the opening ceremony that China is willing to work with the international community to bolster robotic technology innovation and industrial development. China will also welcome global stakeholders to grow their businesses in the country, encourage Chinese robotic companies to go global, and augment the use of robots in various fields like intelligent manufacturing and healthcare, he said. Highlighting the pivotal role of robots in promoting the in-depth integration of artificial intelligence and the real economy, Xin called for efforts to carry out basic research on robots and achieve breakthroughs in core technologies of key fields, so as to promote the high-quality development of the country’s robotics industry.
As of July, China owned more than 190,000 effective robot-related patents, accounting for about two-thirds of the global total. The country has maintained its position as the world’s largest industrial robot market for 11 consecutive years, he noted. He further said that robot density in the manufacturing industry reached 470 robots per 10,000 employees, and service robots have been used in multiple sectors on a large scale, including family services, health and elderly care, adding that the average annual growth rate of China’s robotics industry is 15%. The output of industrial robots in the country has increased from 33,000 units in 2015 to 430,000 units in 2023, with a compound annual growth rate of 37.8%. The output of robots used in the services sector jumped 21.3% year-on-year to 7.83 million units last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS
Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics, said China has made remarkable achievements in the robotics industry in recent years, emerging as the world’s largest consumer market and a leading producer of robots. “Since 2013, China has consistently maintained the top position in global robot installations, playing a vital and irreplaceable role on the international stage.” Chinese products such as collaborative robots, logistics robots and underwater robots have gained prominence in the international market, capturing a significant share of the total, she said. Bill, who is also the global head of marketing and sales and head of product line software and digital in industrial conglomerate ABB’s Robotics Division, said, “China is actively promoting the research and development and application of humanoid robots, injecting new vigor and vitality into the diverse development of global robotics technology.”
The deep integration of technologies like AI has made robots smarter, more flexible and more autonomous, said Alois C. Knoll, Professor at the Technical University of Munich in Germany. He said the conference has served as a prominent platform for actively promoting the deep integration of robotics technology across various sectors, while setting a very good example for promoting innovation and global cooperation in the robotics field, the China Daily reports.
At the conference, UBTech Robotics, a Shenzhen, Guangdong province-based robot developer, is showcasing its industrial humanoid robot, Walker S, which has been applied in car factories to carry out tasks such as intelligent sorting, intelligent quality inspection, and installation of car components. Tan Min, Chief Brand Officer of UBTech, said the emergence of humanoid robots will change the way people live and work, and improve production efficiency and people’s quality of life. These robots, he added, will not only play a vital role in intelligent manufacturing, but could also be used in fields such as personal services, healthcare and education. An industry report co-compiled by UBTech and other partners has forecast that the market size of humanoid robots in China will reach some CNY2.76 billion this year and is expected to top CNY75 billion by 2029, accounting for 32.7% of the global total.
