Core reading: Intelligent robots are a “masterpiece” of today’s high-tech, integrating materials, machinery, electronics, biology, control, sensing, software, artificial intelligence and other multi-disciplinary advanced technologies. The R&D, manufacturing and application of robots have become a “battlefield” for countries to compete for comprehensive technological innovation and intelligent manufacturing capabilities.
In one factory, an average of 100,000 dumplings are produced in one hour, and they are packaged and distributed all over the world. In this factory, which covers an area of several thousand square meters, there is no one, and there are only busy and orderly robots. From mixing noodles, filling stuffing to kneading dumplings, from plastic sealing, piece counting, sorting to palletizing, the whole process is completely complete. It is completed by robots with different divisions of labor and in an orderly manner. The pneumatic gripper is as gentle as “mother’s hand”, which can accurately grasp the dumplings with soft skin, without causing any damage to the dumplings, and the grasping and placement are accurate. X-rays and detectors are as sharp as “eyes of fire”, and they can remove dumplings with unqualified shape or quality. These robotic teams can withstand the freezing line of minus 50 degrees and can work 24 hours a day.
The above scene is not in a science fiction movie or in a literary work. It is just a real scene in a corner of a city in northern China, and it is also the tip of the iceberg and the spot in the world’s vigorous Robot revolution.
Status Quo of Global Robot Industry Development
Intelligent robots are a “masterpiece” of today’s high-tech, integrating materials, machinery, electronics, biology, control, sensing, software, artificial intelligence and other multi-disciplinary advanced technologies. The R&D, manufacturing and application of robots have become a “battlefield” for countries to compete in comprehensive technological innovation and intelligent manufacturing.
In the global robotics and industrial landscape, there is traditionally a tripartite pattern of Japan, the United States, and Europe. Japan has a solid industrial foundation in robotics, especially in terms of servo motor technology and industry that control the precise movements of robots. Japanese companies such as Panasonic and Mitsubishi are among the leaders. In addition, Japan has made great efforts in the research and development of bionic robots, especially humanoid robots. In the robotics industry, the United States pays more attention to the combination of artificial intelligence technology. Germany, Britain, France, Switzerland and other countries in the EU are all established industrial powers. Based on their solid foundation in the field of machinery and electronics, the EU countries have a very deep foundation in the robotics industry.
With the advent of the era of intelligent revolution, intelligent robots sounded the horn of the fourth industrial revolution. In this period of historical turning point where the turbulent and the crowd are competing, many upstarts in the Robot industry have emerged, and new technologies and new applications are also driving great changes in the pattern of the Robot industry. “UniversalRobots” in Denmark and “RethinkRobotics” in the United States integrate more collaboration and intelligence, and Boston Dynamics perfectly integrates dynamics and structural mechanics. These upstart robots are developing into the four major families of traditional industrial robots (KUKA in Germany, ABB in Switzerland and Japan). Nako and YASKAWA) challenge. The Da Vinci surgical robot of “Intuitive Surgical” in the United States, Sony Aibo, etc. have greatly expanded the market space of medical robots and service robots, so that service robots, medical, military and other special robots have been on an equal footing with traditional industrial robots, occupying the world’s largest robot output value. half. The newly developed 3D printed liquid crystal elastomer actuators that can be used for various shape deformations and new materials that can navigate through tip growth will enhance and promote the development of soft robotics. Muscle-simulating self-healing and hydraulic amplifying actuators can lift objects over 200 times their weight, further enhancing the robot’s “muscle” capabilities. Self-assembled nanoscale robots from DNA, DelFly bionic robots and soft wearable robots have promoted the development and application of new robots, redefining the boundaries of the robotics market.
The reshaping of the industrial structure will inevitably lead to industrial transfer and industrial restructuring, which brings new opportunities for all countries in the world. Taking South Korea as an example, in the wave of global robot industry development, the South Korean government launched a fierce offensive and launched a set of combined punches focusing on “key technological breakthroughs, horizontal industrial diffusion, strengthening international standards, and building an ecological network”, intending to compete for global robots. The deer of industry. At the Winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018, South Korea showed off the “muscles” of its “robot” technology. The robot not only served as security and explained, but also served as the world’s first robot torchbearer. “Robo-skiing competition”. After more than ten years of unremitting efforts, South Korea’s robot industry has developed by leaps and bounds. According to the statistics of the International Federation of Robotics, South Korea has ranked first in the ranking of robot density (the number of industrial robots per 10,000 employees) in various countries in the world. It can be said that South Korea has become an emerging force that can compete with Japan, the United States and Europe.
In the restructuring of the global robot industry, China, the world’s second largest economy, is bound to play an irreplaceable role in this process. China’s huge open market attracts all the top robotics giants in the world. Germany’s KUKA has set up its new factory in Shanghai, and Switzerland’s ABB has directly relocated its robotics business headquarters to Shanghai, China. Japan’s Fanuc and YASKAWA are actively establishing joint ventures with local Chinese companies to set up robotics companies to develop business in the Chinese market. The American iRobot has launched its specific high-end sweeping robot to China, and the Pepper robot developed by Japan’s Softbank Group and France’s Aldebaran Robotics is also actively entering China with the help of domestic companies such as Alibaba and Haier. The entry of these global robot giants into China is both a major opportunity and a huge challenge for China.
The technological precipitation required by the robotics industry is very deep, and there are still obvious shortcomings in our country, whether in traditional machinery and electronics, or in emerging biological and artificial intelligence technologies. The top 10 cool robotics technologies selected by Science magazine in 2019 are very far away from us, whether it is from original research that may change the future of robotics, or commercial products that support basic science and promote industrial and medical innovation, my country’s The robotics industry still has a long way to go.
China’s robot market and application prospects are broad
In 2016, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Finance jointly issued the “Robot Industry Development Plan (2016-2020)”, which made a clear and accurate judgment on the situation faced by my country’s robot industry. The development goal of my country’s robot industry by 2020. With the strong support of the state, my country’s robotics technology and industry have improved rapidly, and the overall industry situation is good.
“The scale of the industry continues to rise, and the market potential is huge.” From 2013 to 2017, the average scale growth rate of my country’s robot industry exceeded 15%, and the average growth rate was as high as 30%. According to the “China Robot Industry Development Report” in 2018, the scale of my country’s robot market has reached nearly 9 billion US dollars, accounting for about 30% of the global robot market share.
“The industrial chain has begun to take shape, and the agglomeration effect has begun to appear.” my country has initially formed a robot upstream and downstream industrial system covering precision reducers, servo systems, intelligent sensors, body processing and system integration solutions. Several domestic characteristic industrial clusters have begun to take shape. The Yangtze River Delta region started early and has prominent advantages. The Pearl River Delta region has a unique NC industry. Central China and North China are vigorously introducing external re
