Robotics and humanoid robotics & civilian drones discussion

siegecrossbow said:

Seems like a gimmick. Why would you even need a humanoid robot to do this? Wheeled solution might be faster.

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China has 12½ times more robots in its workforce than expected, according to an independent think tank in Washington, an indication that Chinese workers are being replaced by robots at the fastest rate in the world.
“China does not yet appear to be leading in robotic innovation, but … it is likely only a matter of time before Chinese robotics companies catch up to the leading edge,” the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) said in a report released on Monday.
The decision to replace a human worker with a robot is often about saving money. It follows that developed countries with high wages would have greater penetration rates of robots than do lower-wage countries.

But, the ITIF found that China is using automation far more than expected based on what workers get paid in manufacturing, with 12½ times more robots in use than predicted – a big jump from 1.6 times more in 2017. In contrast, the United States uses only 70 per cent of the robots it should be using, given the wages paid to its manufacturing workers.

The analysis of China’s robotics industry by the US-based public policy think tank included research into major companies and insights from global experts. The report was published on their website on Monday. The study found that production and deployment rates of robotics in China were increasing rapidly. The Chinese government has made the robotics industry a priority, suggesting that the country’s robotics firms were soon likely to be leading-edge innovators.

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“China has a good manufacturing foundation and a complete industrial chain. It is capable of providing technical support for the development of robots and a broad range of industrial application scenarios for robots,” according to a report released last Friday on humanoid robots by Science and Technology Daily, the official newspaper of China’s science and technology ministry.
Robots are now used across vast sectors of China’s economy, including manufacturing, logistics, hospitality, healthcare and construction. “China’s automobile industry is now the largest in the world, which is also a boon to Chinese robotic adoption, as the auto industry is a major purchaser of industrial robots,” Atkinson said.
The enormous and rapidly growing demand for industrial automation has spawned numerous robotics start-ups, many of which are based in Dongguan, in southern China’s Guangdong province, an area known for its extensive robotics industry.

The rise of these start-ups has heralded significant cost advantages and efficiencies. The ITIF report cited Li Zexiang, a Hong Kong University of Science and Technology professor, who said: “People here [in Dongguan] can develop a new tech product five to 10 times faster than in Silicon Valley or Europe, at one-fifth or one-fourth the cost.”

The report also pointed out that China’s robotics industry still relied heavily on foreign technologies, and remained dependent on many imported parts that were predominantly made by companies in Japan, Germany and Switzerland.
Despite the positive growth, Atkinson noted two areas that China still lags in.
Software, which constitutes about 80 per cent of a robot’s value and is a key differentiator of robot quality and versatility, was a weak point for Chinese companies, he said.

The other was innovation. Many automation products from China resembled those of Fanuc in Japan or Boston Robotics in the US, indicating an inclination to imitation over original development. “Many Chinese robotics companies are copiers,” he said.

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In Shanghai, ABB and Fanuc have built the largest robot production factories in the world, with facilities even more advanced than what Fanuc has in Japan. Japan’s Yaskawa Electric Corporation has built three factories in China that can produce 18,000 units of robots annually. And if recent history is any guide, China is using this foreign investment to capture knowledge and force technology transfer to Chinese robot makers. Even when foreign investors put tight controls on intellectual property theft, there are spillover effects in terms of industrial knowledge that help Chinese firms close the innovation gap.

China has many domestic robotics companies, such as Geek Robotics, Hikvision, and Blue Sword (robots for China’s military). In fact, since 2017, there have been over 3,400 robotics start-ups in China—not just industrial robots, but also autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). This was part of China’s “100 Million Robot Program.” Moreover, China has made very rapid progress in the development of robotics companies in the last year. For example, Tracxn lists 188 Chinese robotics start-ups. Of the top 10, 8 have venture investors from outside China, indicating their innovative potential.

Many of these start-ups are from Songshan Lake, an industrial development zone south of Dongguan, China, that has hundreds of robotics companies, both start-ups and established. While some of this may be hype, one Hong Kong professor stated that “people here [at Dongguan] can develop a new tech product 5 to 10 times faster than in Silicon Valley or Europe, at one-fifth or one-fourth the cost.”

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Another expert said that “China will be able to close the gap, just a question of how long it takes.” One reflection of how China is not leading in terms of innovation (and quality) is the fact that foreign firms probably account for 75 percent of the Chinese robotic market today, with domestic firms about 25 percent. Core components are dominated by Japanese firms.

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tacoburger said:

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The full report can be found here

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Interesting quotes from the report



It's an interesting read, since they do go in specifics and hone in on some Chinese companies. But there's the constant and droning narrative of "copy, copying, most of China does is copying" that the author keeps repeating in the report.

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tphuang said:

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all you need to see is this coping article. They blame the lower sales to China on Chinese economy rather than losing competitiveness.

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sunnymaxi said:

i have read this report .. ''itif'' report contain some useful information especially about number of Patents and Chinese companies background. but this report severely lacks updated information , market share and core components report..

as of Q12023, Chinese companies overtook 43.7% market share in mainland
as of Q42023, Chinese companies overtook 50% percent market share in mainland

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ESTUN AUTOMATION completed local supply chain of industrial robots-

Estun company personnel told reporters that the company's current self-produced parts have basically met the manufacturing needs of the company's robot products. At the same time, the company has also established an industrial ecological chain from core components to robot bodies to system integration. This gives the company a competitive advantage in terms of cost and quality, and can also create synergies in technology and applications.

Eft recently disclosed at an investor event that in the first half of the year, the company basically achieved full autonomy of controllers, but there are cases where some customers specify controllers due to usage habits. The company has invested in an RV reducer company and introduced other domestic reducer manufacturers. The current utilization rate of domestic RV reducers is 96.71%;. The domestic supply chain for reducers is mature and the company has achieved full localization. The company's drivers are basically outsourced from other domestic brands, and the company is also doing independent research and development of drivers.

ESTUN R&D personnel exceed 1500 ..
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Anhui province based ''EFORT Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd'' also successfully completed local supply chain. EFORT not only completed supply chain of core components but they established largest production base of high end 'RV REDUCER'' of industrial robots in mainland. and break the long standing Monopoly of Japan..

EFORT has interview with CCTV2 channel last year. CCTV2 visited factory and research base of the company. i personally took all these screenshots..

View attachment 126689View attachment 126690View attachment 126691

ESTUN AUTOMATION
EFORT Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd
SIASUN ROBOTICS

these three domestic giants rapidly taking over mainland market and have local supply chain.. though 2 more Chinese companies making their mark. Shenzhen based ''inovance technology co. ltd'' could be the next big thing ..

i m not counting KUKA here.. though China owned this firm and overtook supply chain of this firm. KUKA have major production and two R&D bases here in mainland..

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