Five expectations for the booming development of China's robotics industry

Robots are deeply influencing and changing our production and life, and the era of robots has arrived. In recent years, driven by national strategic policies, China's robot industry has developed rapidly. Not only has the manufacturing scale continued to expand, but the application fields have also become increasingly extensive. Robots are becoming the backbone of China's high-quality economic development.

How to further promote the high-quality development of China's robotics industry? There are at least five expectations:

1. Expecting breakthroughs in core technology research

The core value of robots lies in intelligence, and the foundation of intelligence lies in core technologies such as algorithms, chips, and sensors . These technologies are not only related to the level of the robot's "brain", but also to a country's autonomous and controllable capabilities in the field of robots.

At present, Chinese robot enterprises still have a certain gap in visual recognition, autonomous navigation, machine learning and other algorithms. Key components such as high-end reducers, precision servo motors , sensors, etc. are also relatively dependent on imports, which restricts the development of China's robot industry.

Therefore, it is necessary to continue to increase independent research and development and tackle key problems in core technologies. Enterprises should strengthen industry-university-research cooperation with universities and research institutes to jointly carry out cutting-edge technology research and development. The country should also increase policy support for technological innovation and encourage enterprises to invest more research and development funds.

Specifically, in terms of algorithms, we can focus on improving the robot's environmental perception, task planning, and decision-making learning capabilities, so that it can operate flexibly in complex environments like humans; in terms of chips, we need to improve computing power and power consumption indicators to make them more in line with the robot's needs for edge computing.

Only when these "robot brains" achieve breakthroughs can Chinese robots achieve a qualitative leap in intelligence. This requires technical workers to persevere in tackling key problems, and also requires continuous support from enterprises and the government.

2. Expect continuous expansion and innovation of robot application scenarios

The value of robots lies in liberating manpower and improving efficiency, which requires the continuous expansion of the breadth and depth of robot applications. At present, China's robot applications are still concentrated in the manufacturing industry, and applications in other fields need to be further developed.

For example, in the agricultural field, we can vigorously develop harvesting robots, weeding robots, cultivation monitoring robots, etc.; in the medical and health field, we can develop more precise surgical robots and rehabilitation assistance robots; in the commercial service field, we can also use robots to provide more flexible and convenient food delivery, guidance, cleaning and other services.

At the same time, we should also deepen the use of robots in traditional application fields. For example, in the manufacturing industry, the application of robots can be extended to product design, supply chain management, quality control and other links to achieve full process intelligence; in the field of logistics and warehousing, unmanned forklifts and other supporting robots can be further developed to form warehousing automation solutions.

Expanding the application fields and scenarios will help stimulate the endogenous power of the robot industry and enable ordinary people to have more access to and use robots. This requires government departments to formulate plans and action plans to guide social resources to focus on multi-field robot applications; it also requires companies to take the initiative to explore the market and innovate business models to bring robots into thousands of households.

3. Expect the continuous extension of the industrial chain and strengthening of supporting facilities

A mature industry must be accompanied by a complete industrial chain. At present, China is relatively prominent in the manufacturing link of industrial robots , but there are still shortcomings in the upstream and downstream links. For example, core components such as control systems, servo motors, and reducers are still relatively dependent on imports. This not only affects the overall performance of the product, but also poses the risk of being "stuck in the neck".

Therefore, it is necessary to accelerate the extension, supplementation and strengthening of the robot industry chain. Through technological innovation, mergers and reorganizations, policy guidance and other means, more key component companies should be cultivated to enable them to provide more cost-effective components; at the same time, the capacity building of terminal integrators should be strengthened so that they can optimize and customize robot systems according to the needs of different scenarios.

In addition, we need to build an industrial public service system, such as test and verification platforms, engineering technology research centers, and innovation and entrepreneurship bases, to strengthen the coordinated support of the industrial chain. We also need to accelerate the standardization of robots, reduce duplicate R&D and quality issues, and reduce the cost of use for enterprises.

Only when the upstream and downstream are highly coordinated and all links are closely coordinated, can the robot industry chain form a synergy, ensure product performance and quality, and thus enhance the competitiveness of the entire industry. This is the only way for China to move from a robot power to a robot power.

4. Expect to cultivate robot "unicorn" enterprises

At present, most of the enterprises in the robot-related industrial chain in China are innovative small and medium-sized enterprises, and the number of enterprises with real core technologies and brand influence is not large. Compared with the international industry leaders, there is still a gap. This restricts China's voice and control in the global robot industry.

Therefore, it is necessary to vigorously cultivate and support robot "unicorn" enterprises to enable them to grow into industry leaders. This requires support from capital, talent, policies and other aspects.

Specifically, we need to invest in outstanding start-up robot companies to help them grow rapidly; we need to improve the talent incentive mechanism to retain and attract top talents; we need to provide policy dividends, such as tax incentives, government procurement preferences, scientific research funding, etc. In addition, we need to actively promote strategic cooperation between leading robot companies and start-up companies and universities to achieve resource sharing, complementary advantages, and jointly create a higher level of innovation ecosystem.

Only by cultivating a number of world-class robotics companies can China transform from a follower to a leader and elevate Chinese smart manufacturing to new heights globally.

5. We look forward to accelerating the establishment of an open and win-win international cooperation pattern

At present, the global robotics industry is highly globalized, with core technologies and key standards in the hands of a few developed countries. To improve their internationalization, Chinese robotics companies must actively integrate into the global innovation network and deepen international cooperation.

On the one hand, we should strengthen cooperation and exchanges with developed countries. We can learn advanced technology and management experience through joint ventures, setting up R&D centers, etc. We can also jointly build research institutions and carry out joint research on cutting-edge technologies. On the other hand, we should also strengthen technology exports and production capacity cooperation with countries along the "Belt and Road". This will not only drive the economic and social development of these countries, but also open up overseas markets for Chinese companies and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.

In addition, we should strengthen talent exchange and cooperation to realize the flow and sharing of global innovation resources. For example, we can set up an international robotics academy to promote the international flow of teachers and students, and cultivate urgently needed engineering and technical talents for other developing countries. Only by establishing an open pattern and a win-win concept can China's robotics industry continue to progress in participating in global competition and cooperation, and realize the transformation from a big robot country to a strong robot country.

To sum up, China's robotics industry has a good development momentum and broad prospects, but further resolution of issues in core technologies, application scenarios, industrial chains, corporate strength and international cooperation is needed to accelerate the transformation from a big country to a strong country and lead the high-quality development of China's economy with robotics innovation.