Munich Empty shelves and a lack of employees – the new shortage in the economy gives the manufacturers of industrial robots a special boom. 487,000 robots were sold worldwide last year, 27 percent more than in the previous year. “There is now massive investment in automation,” says Susanne Bieller, Secretary General of the World Industry Association IFR. But she sees her industry only at the beginning of a boom.
Several trends are fueling the development. During the pandemic, many companies learned that only robots can still work when employees have to stay at home due to quarantine regulations. Others are now realizing that it makes sense to bring production back to the home markets if the supply chains from Asia tear. In view of the high personnel costs and shortage of skilled workers, this re- or nearshoring only works with more automation.
Unlike in the past, however, today’s robots are increasingly able to think for themselves. German start-ups play a key role in the development of collaborative robots. Companies such as Wandelbots, Agile Robotics and Energy Robotics make it easier to program the machines and use artificial intelligence (AI) to make the robots smarter and thus more valuable.
As a result, openness to the use of robots in Germany is growing. According to a current survey by the IFR, every third industrial decision-maker considers industrial robots to be “very important” in order to produce components at home that could be missing in the event of supply bottlenecks. More than 70 percent want to further expand automation with industrial robots.
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So-called cobots can help with this. “Robotization on a large scale is still ahead of us,” said Sami Haddadin from the Chair of Robotics and System Intelligence at the Technical University of Munich at the Handelsblatt Innovation Summit on Tuesday. Small robots with an artificial sense of touch and modern sensor technology could work right next to people – and would thus significantly expand the possible uses.
“We are all still facing robotization on a large scale,” said the holder of the Chair for Robotics and System Intelligence at the Technical University of Munich.
(Photo: Marc-Steffen Unger for Handelsblatt)
IFR Secretary General Bieller also sees a driver in the cobots and new, inexpensive low-cost robots. “This is an entry-level opportunity, especially for companies that are making their first experiences with robots.”
Because even companies that have previously shied away from investing in robots are confronted with the shortage of skilled workers and are opening up to further automation. “The development is strongly driven by the lack of labor,” said Bieller. Skilled workers are particularly difficult to find in the United States. “After Corona, many industrial workers did not return to the factory buildings.”
In the US, many workers have left the factories
For this reason, a broad wave of automation has started in industry in the USA, including outside of the automotive sector. In the first quarter, sales of robots in North America increased by 28 percent to 11,595 deliveries, according to new IFR figures. Sales rose 43 percent to $664 million.
In Germany, too, the shortage of skilled workers is already putting many companies under pressure. “We have to work on how we can further develop Industry 4.0 in order to offer support for people through machines and artificial intelligence in the right place,” said Ursula Staudinger from the Technical University of Munich at the Innovation Summit.
German companies are at the forefront of new robotics. “We see a thriving landscape of start-ups developing new solutions that are close to the customer,” said IFR Secretary General Bieller. Germany has the chance to be one of the leading locations in robotics.
The companies are spread across the entire country, following the example of medium-sized customers. Stuttgart and Munich, among others, are in a strong position. But Saxony also wants to develop into a leading robotics cluster as “Robot Valley Saxony”.
One of the flagship companies in the region is Wandelbots. The company has developed software that significantly simplifies the programming of robots. Wandelbots was able to attract Siemens and Microsoft as investors, among others.
Micropsi Industries has also developed solutions with which industrial robots can be programmed in a few hours. “We contribute to the democratization of robotics,” said Managing Director Dominik Bösl. The use of robots is now also becoming worthwhile for medium-sized companies with smaller quantities.
The start-up PowerOn, on the other hand, has set out to “reduce the barriers between man and machine”, said founder Markus Henke. His company has developed a plastic that deforms when an electric current flows.
Robots are getting better and better at sensing their surroundings
In this way, a human muscle can be imitated and linked to sensors, including reflexes and tactile sensitivity. “In five years we will have products in the field of tactile gripping in our range,” said Henke.
Energy Robotics, a spin-off from the TU Dresden, develops software for mobile robots that can autonomously carry out inspections in demanding environments, for example in the oil and gas industry. “We take people out of a dangerous work environment,” said CEO and co-founder Marc Dessler.
Many start-ups are also working on robotics for the medical and nursing sector. Tediro has developed a robotics platform for therapy and diagnostics, on the basis of which robots can, for example, train patients to walk. “We want to get onto the market as quickly as possible,” said co-founder Anke Mayfarth.
“We want to get to the market as quickly as possible.”
(Photo: Marc-Steffen Unger for Handelsblatt)
With all the optimism about benefiting from the global megatrends, there are also concerns in the industry. The robotics industry is also suffering from the supply chain problems. “The order books are full, but there are problems in processing the orders,” said IFR Secretary General Bieller. Chips were missing, but so were many other components.
The high energy prices are a double-edged sword for the industry: on the one hand, they dampen the willingness of customers to invest, on the other hand, robots could help to produce more efficiently.
What is a robot allowed to do? Regulation in the EU will be crucial for use
The EU’s plan to regulate the use of artificial intelligence more closely is also hotly debated in the industry. “I understand that you want to regulate that,” Universal Robots founder Esben Östergaard told Handelsblatt. “But if the technical inspection has to come every time you reprogram something on a cobot or set it up differently, it can take weeks and cost a lot of money.” If that happens, Europe as a location will lose its competitiveness.
>> Read also: “60 percent growth per year”: Robot pioneer explains the new billion-euro market for cobots
IFR Secretary General Bieller also said: “The discussion about the ‘AI Act’ scares many start-ups. We run the risk of the EU overshooting the target.” There is a risk of overregulation, which could prove to be an extreme stumbling block for the economy in an important future area.
The fears of robots, which still exist, are rather diffuse, said Ulrike Thomas from Chemnitz University of Technology, who deals with human-technology interaction. “You just have to understand the robots as a pleasant tool.” You can leave the tedious work to the machines and take care of the creative things yourself.
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