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Our reporter Li Jiabao

Recently, in the production workshop of a new energy vehicle company in Anyang City, Henan Province, industrial robots completed automatic operations according to program instructions. Photo by Wang Jianan (People's Picture)

On July 10, in Zhangye City, Gansu Province, the State Grid Gansu Zhangye Power Supply Company carried out the operation of installing and testing grounding rings with robots under power. Photo by Yang Xiao (People's Picture)

"China is vigorously developing the robotics industry, and local brands have launched cost-effective products and gradually penetrated the Korean market." South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo recently published an article saying that while focusing on China's robotics industry, the report also mentioned that China is developing new quality productivity - this is a contemporary advanced productivity generated by revolutionary technological breakthroughs, innovative allocation of production factors, and deep industrial transformation and upgrading.

In recent years, China's robotics industry has developed rapidly, attracting widespread attention from foreign media. Statistics show that China is the world's largest consumer of robots. In 2022, the operating income of China's robotics industry exceeded 170 billion yuan, the output of industrial robots was 443,000 sets, and the output of service robots reached 6.458 million units.

Empowering production and life

After years of development, China's robotics industry has been continuously segmented.

Industrial robots are showing their prowess, helping China's manufacturing industry to achieve digital transformation and intelligent transformation. South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo pointed out that China is in a leading position in the use of robots in "lighthouse factories". The media said that the "lighthouse factory" project refers to the introduction of the fourth industrial revolution technologies such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, just like lighthouses guide ships, to promote the digital transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry. The core lies in the technological capabilities of robots. By the end of 2023, there will be 153 "lighthouse factories" in the world, of which 62 are located in China, accounting for 40.5%, the largest number in the world.

The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said that technological progress and an aging population are driving factory automation. China is a well-deserved leader in this regard. In 2022, China installed 290,000 new industrial robots, accounting for more than half of the world's new installations, a large part of which were used in automobile production, especially electric vehicle manufacturing. "The robotization process of China's industry is advancing rapidly," said the French newspaper L'Echo.

Robots bring more convenience to ordinary people's lives. According to a recent Reuters report, the "six-legged" robot guide dog developed by a team from Shanghai Jiaotong University is expected to help visually impaired people live better. The report said that this robot guide dog is currently undergoing field tests. It can navigate in the physical environment through cameras and sensors, and can also communicate with operators through artificial intelligence technologies such as voice recognition, route planning and traffic light recognition. It is reported that this robot guide dog is about the size of a British bulldog, and the unique configuration of six legs helps it walk steadily.

The development of humanoid robots in China has attracted much attention from foreign media. According to the French news agency, the 2024 Chinese Humanoid Robot Developer Conference was held in Shanghai not long ago. The various humanoid robots displayed by about 30 companies at the conference attracted widespread attention and discussion. The report paid special attention to the bipedal robots made in China and the robots that can be implanted with the digital image of parents. If the former is used in the family service industry, it will help take care of the elderly and cope with the aging population; the latter will help promote human-machine interaction between children and robots and provide children with an interesting partner.

South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo reported that Chinese robots can be equipped with artificial intelligence technology and are in a leading position in the humanoid robot market. The humanoid robot "Walker S" released by Chinese technology company UBTECH can communicate naturally with people and is equipped with a language model developed by Baidu. The humanoid robot "Astribot S1" developed by another Chinese technology company Stardust Intelligence can perform difficult actions such as peeling with a fruit knife, ironing clothes, and watering flowers, which is close to the human level.

Accelerate technological innovation

Robots are known as the "crown jewel of the manufacturing industry". The research and development, manufacturing and application of robots are important indicators of a country's scientific and technological innovation and high-end manufacturing level. Foreign media have noted that China is constantly improving the technological innovation level of the robot industry and helping to cultivate new quality productivity.

The Times of India website pointed out that in October 2023, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Guiding Opinions on the Innovation and Development of Humanoid Robots", seeking to initially establish a humanoid robot innovation system by 2025, make breakthroughs in key technologies, and ensure the safe and effective supply of core components. This shows that China is working hard to accelerate the development of the domestic robot industry, while achieving self-reliance in technology and focusing on developing core capabilities.

A recent report by South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo focused on the development of China's industrial robot installation capacity. The report pointed out that China, known as the "world's factory", has gradually developed from "labor-intensive" to "highly automated" and actively cultivated new quality productivity.

According to a report by Seoul Economy in South Korea, China is one of the countries with the fastest-growing robotics industry in the world. The Chinese government has made the robotics industry a key area for development. The report quoted analysts as saying that China is focusing on cultivating artificial intelligence, big data and other related technologies that will lead the fourth industrial revolution, and it is expected that China's robotics industry will accelerate development as technology advances.

The Nikkei reported that Chinese high-tech companies are committed to the research and development of robots. Smartphone giant Xiaomi and emerging electric car manufacturer Xiaopeng Motors are both developing humanoid bipedal robots. The report said that the improvement of component and sensor performance has made it possible to control more advanced robots. It is in this context that some companies have begun to explore new business models that link robots with artificial intelligence.

Popular overseas

With the rapid development of China's robotics industry, more and more domestic robots are accelerating their overseas expansion and are welcomed by companies and people in other countries. According to Chinese customs data, China's industrial robot exports grew by 86.4% in 2023.

"China's warehouse robots may ease Japan's logistics tension" - In January this year, the Nikkei Asian Review published an article with this title, saying that Chinese warehouse robot start-ups are now keen to ship to the Japanese market, which is working hard to solve the imminent bottleneck in the logistics industry. The article introduces a case: Shenzhen-based warehouse robot company, Juxing Technology, plans to increase its annual shipments to the Japanese market to 3,000 units in two years, 10 times the current scale. Warehouse robots are similar to package sorters and can operate effectively in a small space. The company plans to target logistics companies with small warehouses as its main target customers. A Japanese logistics center ordered 60 Juxing Technology robots last summer and successfully reduced the number of employees from 90 to 40.

According to the Financial Times, due to labor shortages and soaring labor costs, as well as people's preference for "contactless service" after the epidemic, the Korean catering industry has begun to introduce service robots to replace manual food delivery. According to data from the Korea Robot Industry Association, in 2022, Korean restaurants operated about 5,000 service robots, an increase of 67% from 2021. It is worth mentioning that last year, more than 70% of the service robots in use in South Korea were produced by Chinese manufacturers.

According to a report in Korea Economy, a new batch of "Made in China" products featuring high-tech content are occupying the Korean commercial market with their high cost-effectiveness.

According to a report by Seoul Economy, South Korea is one of the main overseas markets for China's industrial robot exports. Many robots responsible for transportation and movement on South Korea's industrial production lines and logistics lines are "made in China". In addition, service-oriented commercial robots made in China are also developing rapidly, mainly used for household cleaning, entertainment, helping the elderly and the disabled, and education.

It's not just South Korea. According to Nikkei Asia, Chinese service robot manufacturers are receiving orders from all over the world. For example, Purdue Technology's revenue reached $100 million in 2022, and its customers include hot pot chain Haidilao and Burger King and KFC restaurants in Europe. Shanghai-based Qinglang Intelligent Technology is also accelerating its overseas expansion. By the end of 2022, it had sold about 35,000 products, of which nearly 10,000 were cross-border sales.