College students from across the country participate in the 25th China Robot and Artificial Intelligence Competition on June 13, 2023. (PHOTO: VCG)

By QI Liming

China climbed to fifth place in robot density data (RDD) in 2021 and maintained this position in 2022. Driven by the country's massive investment in automation technology, the country now has an impressive  high robot density of 392 robots per 10,000 employees.

This was revealed in a RDD report by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) on January 10, which showed that Asia leads the way in the shift to automated processes, with China in particular installing industrial robots at breakneck speed. In 2022, the country accounted for more than 50 percent of newly installed industrial robots worldwide and is the largest market in absolute terms and in terms of growth, which has been driving the intelligent transformation and upgrading of China's manufacturing companies and helps raise total factor productivity.

Exciting trends of robotics and automation

According to Georg Stieler, managing director, Asia, of Stieler Technology & Marketing Consultants, who has implemented over 40 market entry and expansion projects in China with his local team, "The situation in robotics and automation in China has never been as exciting as [it is] today."

In the first half of 2023, the upward trend  of installing industrial robots continued. "According to our calculations, the number of industrial robots sold during this period was 144,288 units, an increase of 17.1 percent compared to the previous year," said Stieler.

The Chinese market is now setting essential trends in industrial automation. What initially emerged in the manufacture of electronic products is continuing in electric cars, batteries, and photovoltaics. Since the country is leading in these areas, local companies benefit from corresponding economies of scale and learning effects, he said.

"In the robotics technology, we expect a similar development. China will remain the largest market for robotics and automation products for the foreseeable future. We have already mentioned the strengths in major sales markets. The country now has a powerful supply chain for most key robotics components," said Stieler.

According to the IFR report, while more and more consumers enjoy the convenience of having a robot vacuum their home or take care of the lawn, it is in industrial applications that robotics have made the biggest impact. State-of-the-art manufacturing processes are unthinkable without industrial robots handling part of the workload, whether it's handling, welding or assembling, which are the three most common applications of newly installed industrial robots in 2022.

Based on data from the IFR, the operational stock of industrial robots has tripled over the past decade, with almost four million robots in use across various industries by the end of 2022.

Multitudinous application scenarios of robots

In addition to the market and growth of industrial robots, the application scenarios of robots continue to expand in China. The increasing prevalence of robots in China highlights the continuous expansion of their application scenarios and the country's rapid advancements in robotics technology.

With robots being extensively used in increasingly diverse and complex ways across different sectors, relevant application scenarios have already covered 65 major industry categories and 206 medium industry categories.

Robots are playing important roles in traditional industries and emerging industries, as well as public wellbeing-related areas and major projects in China. Their 10 major application scenarios include manufacturing, agriculture, construction, energy, commerce and trade logistics, health care, elderly care, education, commercial services for communities, security and emergency response (including in extreme environments), said an action plan on the use of robotics jointly issued by China's 16 government departments.

At the World Robot Conference 2023, humanoid robots with the appearance of Chinese Tang Dynasty poets Li Bai and Du Fu recited poems, wowing visitors because of their quick wit and vivid expressions. Various other types of humanoid robots, such as robot baristas, tactile-sensing robots and giant panda robots, also attracted great attention at the event.