Chinese industrial robot developers set sight on personal robotics market

China’s industrial robot developers are setting sight on a more challenging but lucrative future market — personal robotics, according to industry leaders.

At the 2024 World Robot Conference (WRC), which opened in Beijing on Wednesday, leaders from global industrial robot industry giants and Chinese manufacturers are discussing the evolving market dynamics of this fast-developing sector.

Industrial robots are fundamentally designed for work purposes and have been mainly used in manufacturing. With multiple joints and flexible arms, they can perform complex tasks on assembly lines, all controlled by computer commands.

However, the 2024 World Robot Conference has highlighted a shift in thinking about the future potential of industrial robots, and where else their strengths could be utilized.

“Previously, industrial robots were designed for specific tasks in fixed scenarios. Now, robots can perform various operations thanks to large models and Artificial General Intelligence. Like this one, it’s not limited to a specific sector, it can be applied to manufacturing, services areas, and even our households,” said Guo Yandong, founder and CEO of AI² Robotics, a Shenzhen-based tech start-up.

While industrial robots used to rely mainly on collaborative arms, today’s models feature both arms and legs, making them increasingly human-like and capable of much more flexible manufacturing maneuvers, according to Guo.

With these rapid changes, the industrial robot market has been disrupted, and the traditional “Big Four” in industrial robotics — ABB, KUKA, FANUC, and Yaskawa — are now being increasingly challenged by emerging Chinese brands.

“In this quarter, according to the MIR (Mobile Industrial Robots) study, China manufacturers took 51 percent of the market. We really want to regain our market share with all the localization programs we were putting in place. It’s going to be a very competitive market,” said Han Chen, president of ABB Robotics in China.

UBTech is one of the up-and-coming Chinese players, with its highly-competitive humanoid robots now entering industrial production lines.

“China, often called the world’s factory, has a robust demand that drives rapid tech and product advancements. The government is also focusing on robotics, offering significant support to boost industrial robot development,” said Jiao Jichao, vice president of UBTech.

Industry leaders have also been discussing how to stand out in this rapidly reshuffling industrial robot market.

“In the future, industrial robots will need higher intelligence, allowing factories to use them right out of the box without extensive setup or human assistance. They’ll work like home appliances — just plug them in and they’re ready to go,” said Mark Chen, general manager of Kuka China Business, a division of the German manufacturing company who produce industrial robots.

The 2024 WRC has brought together hundreds of industry professionals and highlighted a number of cutting-edge developments in the fast-evolving robotics industry.

With over 400 professionals from home and abroad joining, the latest edition of the event is presenting over 600 advanced robotic products.

According to the organizer, 169 global companies, including ABB, Tesla, KUKA and SMC, are present at the five-day event.

Chinese industrial robot developers set sight on personal robotics market

Officials from the United Nations (U.N.), on the occasion of the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition on Friday, called for honoring both the victims and the heroic figures who resisted the transatlantic slave trade, emphasizing the importance of reflecting on the trade’s historical impact and the ongoing fight for equality and justice.

Dennis Francis, President of the 78th United Nations General Assembly, posted a statement on social media urging people to remember the courageous individuals who challenged the brutalities of the transatlantic slave trade, acknowledging their role in forever altering the course of history.

“Mr. Francis also stressed that their struggle reminds us of the enduring power of the human spirit in the face of oppression. The PGA invited all to honor the legacy by continuing the fight for equality and justice, ensuring that such atrocities are never repeated,” addressed Monica Grayley, spokeswoman for the President of the General Assembly.

On the same day, Audrey Azoulay, director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), stressed the importance of commemorating both the victims and the freedom fighters of the past. She called for remembrance to inspire future generations to build just societies.

The U.N.’s International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, observed annually across the globe on Aug 23, commemorates the tragedy of the transatlantic slave trade during the colonial era.

The annual observance is led by the UNESCO.

First observed in Haiti on Aug 23, 1998, and in Goree Island in Senegal, on Aug 23, 1999, the date marks the uprising of self-liberated enslaved people on Saint Domingue (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) against French colonial rule on the night of Aug 22 to 23, 1791, which was pivotal in ending the transatlantic slave trade.

U.N. officials call for honoring victims, brave fighters against slave trade