The Chinese robotics industry is rapidly developing.
Release time:
2024-07-23 00:00
China is vigorously developing its robotics industry, with local brands launching high cost-performance products and gradually penetrating the South Korean market.
The new installation of 290,000 industrial robots accounts for more than half of the global new installation quantity, with a significant portion used for automobile production, especially electric vehicle manufacturing. "The robotization process of China's industry is advancing rapidly," said the French newspaper Le Figaro.
Robots bring more convenience to ordinary people's lives. According to a recent report by Reuters, a team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University has developed a "six-legged" robotic guide dog that is expected to help visually impaired individuals live better lives. The report states that this robotic guide dog is currently undergoing field tests; it can navigate physical environments using cameras and sensors and communicate with operators through artificial intelligence technologies such as voice recognition, route planning, and traffic light recognition. It is reported that this robotic guide dog is about the size of a British bulldog, and its unique six-legged configuration helps it walk smoothly.
The development of humanoid robots in China has attracted significant attention from foreign media. According to the French news agency, the 2024 China Humanoid Robot Developers Conference was recently held in Shanghai, where about 30 companies showcased various humanoid robots that sparked widespread attention and discussion. The report particularly focused on Chinese-made bipedal robots and robots capable of embedding digital images of parents. The former could be used in the home service industry to help care for the elderly in response to population aging; the latter would promote human-robot interaction for children, providing them with an interesting companion.
A report from South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo pointed out that Chinese robots can carry artificial intelligence technology and are in a leading position in the humanoid robot market. The humanoid robot "Walker S" released by Chinese tech company UBTECH can communicate naturally with people and is equipped with a language model developed by Baidu. Another Chinese tech company, Stardust Intelligent Technology, has developed the humanoid robot "Astribot S1," which can perform complex tasks such as peeling fruits with a knife, ironing clothes, and watering plants, nearing human-level capabilities.
Accelerate technological innovation
Robots are hailed as "the crown jewel at the top of manufacturing." The research, manufacturing, and application of robots are important indicators of a country's technological innovation and high-end manufacturing level. Foreign media have noted that China is continuously enhancing the technological innovation level of its robot industry to help cultivate new productive forces.
The Times of India website pointed out that China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Guiding Opinions on the Innovative Development of Humanoid Robots" in October 2023, seeking to preliminarily establish an innovative system for humanoid robots by 2025, achieve breakthroughs in key technologies, and ensure the safe and effective supply of core components. This indicates that China is striving to accelerate the development of its domestic robot industry while achieving self-reliance in technology and focusing on developing core capabilities.
A recent report from South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo focused on the development of industrial robot installations in China. The report pointed out that China, known as "the world's factory," is gradually transitioning from "labor-intensive" to "highly automated," actively cultivating new productive forces.
According to a report by South Korea's Seoul Economic Daily, China is one of the fastest-growing countries in the global robot industry. The Chinese government has prioritized the robot industry as a key area for development. The report cites analysts' views that China is focusing on cultivating technologies related to artificial intelligence and big data that lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution, predicting that China's robot industry will accelerate its development with technological advancements.
A report from Japan's Nikkei Economic News noted that Chinese high-tech companies are committed to robot research and development, with smartphone giant Xiaomi and emerging electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng both developing humanoid bipedal robots. The report stated that improvements in component and sensor performance have made it possible to control more advanced robots; some companies are exploring new business models that link robots with artificial intelligence against this backdrop.
Well received overseas
With the rapid development of China's robot industry, more domestic robots are accelerating their "going abroad" and are welcomed by enterprises and people in other countries. Data from Chinese customs shows that in 2023, China's industrial robot export growth rate reached 86.4%.
"China's warehouse robots may alleviate Japan's logistics tension" - In January this year, Nikkei Asia published an article titled this way, stating that Chinese warehouse robot startups are now keen on shipping to the Japanese market, which is striving to solve urgent bottlenecks in its logistics industry. The article introduced a case: Shenzhen-based warehouse robot company Juxing Technology plans to increase its annual shipment volume for the Japanese market to 3,000 units two years later, ten times its current scale. Warehouse robots are similar to package sorting personnel and can operate effectively in small spaces. The company plans to target logistics companies with small warehouses as primary customers. A logistics center in Japan ordered 60 Juxing Technology robots last summer, successfully reducing its workforce from 90 to 40.
According to a report by the Financial Times in the UK, due to labor shortages and soaring employment costs as well as people's preference for "contactless services" after the pandemic, South Korea's catering industry has begun introducing service robots to replace human waitstaff. Data from the Korea Robot Industry Association shows that in 2022, South Korean restaurants operated about 5,000 service robots, an increase of 67% compared to 2021. Notably, over 70% of service robots in use last year were produced by Chinese manufacturers.
According to a report by Korea Economic Daily, a new batch of "Made in China" products characterized by high-tech content is occupying South Korea's commercial market due to their high cost-performance ratio.
According to a report by Seoul Economic Daily, South Korea is one of the main overseas markets for China's industrial robot exports. Many robots responsible for transportation and movement on South Korean industrial production lines and logistics lines are "Made in China." In addition, service-type commercial robots made in China are also rapidly developing, mainly used for household cleaning, entertainment, assistance for the elderly and disabled, education, etc.
Not just South Korea. According to Nikkei Asia reports, Chinese service robot manufacturers are receiving orders from around the world. For example: Purdue Technology Company achieved revenue of $100 million in 2022; its clients include hot pot chain brand Haidilao as well as Burger King and KFC restaurants in Europe. Shanghai-based Qingtian Intelligent Technology Company is also accelerating its overseas expansion; by the end of 2022, it had sold about 35,000 products, nearly 10,000 of which were cross-border sales.
Automobile manufacturing: Industrial robots are widely used in the automobile manufacturing process, including tasks such as welding, assembly, painting, dispensing, and inspection.
A welding robot is an industrial robot that has welding programs preset in its control system, allowing the robot to automatically complete welding tasks.
The types of welding robots are divided into spot welding robots, arc welding robots, laser welding robots, etc. The most common ones in the market are spot welding robots and arc welding robots.
