Interpretation of “Made in China 2025”: Promoting the Development of Robotics

　　“Made in China 2025” stands at a new historical height and, from a strategic and holistic perspective, clearly outlines the action plan for the first decade of China’s strategy to become a manufacturing powerhouse. It identifies “high-end CNC machine tools and robots” as one of the key areas to be vigorously promoted. The development of the robotics industry, it emphasizes, should “focus on the demands of industrial robot applications in sectors such as automotive, machinery, electronics, hazardous materials manufacturing, national defense, chemical industry, and light industry, as well as service robot applications in fields like healthcare, household services, education, and entertainment. We must actively develop new products, promote standardization and modularization in robotics, and expand market applications. We need to break through technological bottlenecks in key components and system integration design and manufacturing—including robot bodies, reducers, servo motors, controllers, sensors, and drivers.” Furthermore, in the technology innovation roadmap for key areas, the development priorities for China’s robotics industry over the next decade are clearly defined along two main directions: First, to develop a series of standardized products for industrial robot bodies and key components, thereby accelerating the industrialization and application of industrial robots and meeting the urgent needs of China’s manufacturing sector for transformation and upgrading; second, to achieve breakthroughs in critical technologies for intelligent robots and develop a batch of smart robots, proactively addressing the challenges posed by the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation.

　　1. Be demand-oriented, enhance innovation capabilities, and expand market applications.

　　According to different application environments, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) categorizes robots into two main types: industrial robots for manufacturing environments and service robots for non-manufacturing environments. Industrial robots are a general term for robots used in industrial production and represent crucial factory automation equipment in modern manufacturing. Service robots, on the other hand, are non-productive robots designed to serve human beings. Service robot technology is primarily applied in unstructured environments that feature complex structures. These robots can acquire information about their external environment through their own sensors and communication systems, enabling them to make decisions and carry out corresponding operational tasks.

　　1. China has become the world’s largest market for industrial robots, and its potential remains to be fully tapped.

　　Industrial robots primarily refer to multi-joint manipulators or multi-degree-of-freedom robots designed for industrial applications, used in various aspects of industrial production processes such as material handling, welding, assembly, machining, painting, and clean manufacturing. In 2014, global sales of industrial robots reached a record high of 225,000 units, representing a year-on-year increase of 27%. The primary driver of market growth came from the Asian region, particularly China and South Korea.

　　In recent years, the Chinese robotics market has experienced rapid growth and has become a major global robotics market. In 2014, China's sales of industrial robots reached 56,000 units, representing a year-on-year increase of 52% and once again making China the world's largest market for industrial robots. The user base has expanded from predominantly foreign-funded enterprises and Sino-foreign joint ventures to include domestic-funded enterprises and even small and medium-sized businesses. Many companies in China's coastal, industrially developed regions produce goods for export and have high standards for product quality; consequently, an increasing number of these companies are replacing industrial workers with robots. In the Pearl River Delta region, the annual growth rate of industrial robot adoption has reached as high as 30%, particularly in fields such as assembly, glue dispensing, material handling, and welding, where a real boom in robot usage has been set off.

　　Although China has been the world’s largest market for industrial robots since 2013, the density of industrial robots in its manufacturing sector remains relatively low. In 2013, China’s industrial robot density was only 30 units per 10,000 industrial workers—less than half the global average—and the gap is even wider when compared to countries with higher levels of industrial automation, such as South Korea (437 units per 10,000 industrial workers), Japan (323 units per 10,000 industrial workers), and Germany (282 units per 10,000 industrial workers). The domestic industrial robot market still holds tremendous potential.

　　As a major manufacturing country, China has long been lagging behind in the application of industrial robots. With the exception of the automotive industry, the widespread and large-scale general manufacturing sector has largely adopted robots in a spontaneous, fragmented, or sporadic manner. As factory automation continues to develop in China, industrial robots will also see rapid adoption in other industrial sectors, such as electronics, metal products, rubber and plastics, food processing, building materials, civilian explosives, aerospace, and medical equipment.

　　The degree of industrial robot adoption is an important indicator of a country's level of industrial automation. The development of industrial robots in China should be centered on accelerating the country’s drive toward intelligent manufacturing, fostering collaboration between robot suppliers and users. On one hand, this involves enhancing the innovation capabilities of Chinese robot manufacturers, promoting standardization, modularity, and systematization in robot development, reducing usage costs, and improving the level of integrated applications, thereby expanding the scope of market adoption. On the other hand, it calls for actively launching pilot programs for domestically branded robots, focusing on a number of exemplary application projects that have demonstrated outstanding results, strong driving effects, and high levels of interconnection, so as to leverage these success stories and broadly promote the use of industrial robots to transform and upgrade traditional manufacturing industries.

　　2. China’s service robot industry should be demand-driven and focus its development on key areas.

　　Service robots encompass both specialized service robots and household service robots. They have a wide range of applications, primarily engaging in tasks such as maintenance, repair, transportation, cleaning, security, rescue, monitoring, as well as medical care, elderly care, rehabilitation, and assistance for people with disabilities. Service robots represent a new type of intelligent equipment and a strategic high-tech product, and in the future, they will have even greater market potential than industrial robots.

　　Global service robots have shown rapid growth over the past five years. According to statistics from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), in 2013, global sales of professional service robots and personal/household service robots reached 21,000 units and 4 million units, respectively, with market values of US$3.57 billion and US$1.7 billion, representing year-on-year growth rates of 4% and 28%, respectively. In the coming years, the global service robot market is expected to continue its rapid expansion. With significant breakthroughs in robot technologies that enable mutual learning and knowledge-sharing cloud platforms, the production costs of small, household-assistive robots have dropped dramatically, paving the way for an emerging market worth at least US$41.6 billion by 2020. On the other hand, although disability-assistive robots are still in their early stages, they are forecast to experience rapid growth over the next 20 years.

　　Currently, the R&D of service robots internationally is primarily led by five countries: the United States, Japan, China, Germany, and South Korea. In China, the development of service robots lags behind that of industrial robots. Compared with countries such as Japan and the United States, China started later in the field of service robot R&D, and the absolute gap between China and developed nations remains significant. However, compared to industrial robots, the gap between China and other countries is relatively smaller. Service robots generally need to be developed in conjunction with specific target markets; local enterprises are better positioned to leverage their understanding of particular environments and cultures, enabling them to secure favorable market positions and maintain a certain competitive edge. On the other hand, service robots from foreign countries also represent an emerging industry, and most of these companies have been established only relatively recently. As a result, China’s service robot industry faces substantial opportunities and considerable room for growth.

　　From a development trend perspective, China’s professional service robots are expected to achieve industrialization ahead of personal/household robots—particularly medical robots and robots for inspecting and exploring hazardous or special environments. As China enters an aging society, the demand for medical care, nursing, and rehabilitation will increase. Meanwhile, as people’s pursuit of higher quality of life continues to rise, personal/household robots will enjoy an even broader market potential in the future.

　　II. Break through technological bottlenecks and enhance industrialization capabilities.

　　Robots integrate modern manufacturing technology, advanced materials technology, and information control technology into a single platform, making them representative products of intelligent manufacturing. Their research and development, manufacturing, and application have become important indicators for measuring a country’s level of scientific and technological innovation and manufacturing prowess, drawing significant attention from the world’s leading manufacturing powers.

　　The development of China’s robotics industry can be traced back to the 1980s, when the Ministry of Science and Technology included industrial robots in its science and technology research programs. The former Ministry of Machine Industry took the lead in organizing efforts to develop industrial robots for applications such as spot welding, arc welding, painting, and material handling. Other government ministries also actively initiated projects to provide support, thus marking the first peak in China’s industrial robotics development. Subsequently, due largely to market demand, the independent R&D and industrialization of robots experienced a prolonged period of stagnation. Since 2010, China’s installed robot capacity has been increasing year by year, and the country has begun to focus on developing the entire robotics industry chain.

　　The development of the robotics industry encompasses R&D and testing, industrialization of robotic systems and components, system integration technologies, and service provision—all of which are equally important. The development of China’s robotics industrial chain is a long and arduous journey. Overall, at present, most Chinese robotics companies are concentrated in the integration sector, with processing and assembly enterprises making up the majority. In terms of original research on core and critical technologies, highly reliable basic functional components, system-level application solutions, and mass production of complete machines, China still has a considerable gap to close compared to developed countries. Regarding key components, critical parts such as precision reducers, servo motors, and drivers remain heavily reliant on imports. Although the state has made substantial investments in this area over the years, the initial market size and level of industrialization have been insufficient to drive the development of core components, resulting in less-than-ideal outcomes.

　　As can be seen from this, the insufficient technological strength of China’s robotics industry has been hindering the scaling up of industrialization. Meanwhile, the smaller scale itself is in turn restricting further technological development—both factors are impeding the progress of robotics industrialization. To enhance the market competitiveness of domestically produced robots, on the one hand, we must expand the output of domestic robots and increase the production capacity of Chinese robotics companies; on the other hand, we need to accelerate the localization of key components for domestic robots, boosting the production capacity of these critical parts to meet the demands of expanding domestic robot manufacturing capacity.

　　In the past two years, the Chinese government has attached great importance to intelligent manufacturing and robotics. Multiple government departments—including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Science and Technology—have been vigorously promoting the development of the robotics industry. They are advancing the growth of domestically branded robotic enterprises from various angles, including top-level design, fiscal and tax policies, financial support, demonstration applications, and talent cultivation. The supporting policies have become increasingly comprehensive and detailed. Work on China’s Robotics Industry Roadmap and the “13th Five-Year Plan” for the robotics industry is also steadily progressing. These efforts will greatly facilitate Chinese robotics companies in overcoming technological bottlenecks and enhancing their industrialization capabilities.

　　At present, for China’s robotics industry, the question is no longer whether to attach importance to it or not—but rather how we should view this industry and with what kind of mindset we should foster and promote its orderly development. With regard to various aspects such as market demand, technological innovation models, and funding support mechanisms for the robotics industry, local governments are expected to refine their support policies for this sector.

　　Third, accelerate the R&D and production of next-generation robots, and seize the next strategic high ground in robotics technology and industrial development.

　　With the advancement of robotics technology, robots are classified into two main categories based on their functions: general-purpose robots and intelligent robots. General-purpose robots are those equipped only with basic programming capabilities and operational functions; currently, most of the robots manufactured in China fall into this category. As for intelligent robots, there is no universally accepted definition. However, most experts agree that intelligent robots should at least possess the following key functional characteristics: First, they must be able to adapt to uncertain working conditions; second, they must have the flexibility to handle complex objects; third, they must be capable of closely coordinating and collaborating with humans; fourth, they must be able to interact naturally with humans; and fifth, they must exhibit safety features when working alongside humans. Whether they are modern industrial robots or service robots, all will eventually evolve into intelligent robots endowed with learning capabilities. We commonly refer to these intelligent robots as "next-generation robots." As technologies such as 3D visual perception and cognition, force sensors, and other advanced sensing technologies continue to advance and deeply integrate with next-generation information technologies—including the Industrial Internet, cloud computing, and big data—next-generation robots will become even more intelligent, with significantly enhanced perceptual abilities. They will be able to carry out dynamic and complex tasks, achieve multi-robot collaboration, and work seamlessly alongside humans.

　　To further seize international markets and enhance the global competitiveness of their manufacturing sectors, major economic powers are eager to take action and have纷纷 formulated development plans aimed at gaining a leading edge in the development of advanced robotics technologies. Currently, the German government is implementing the "Industry 4.0" strategy, building "smart factories" and promoting "intelligent production." One of its key priorities is fostering interactive collaboration between humans and machines as well as among machines themselves. In 2013, the United States unveiled the "U.S. Robotics Development Roadmap," which focuses on tackling critical technologies such as the robust adaptability and reconfigurable assembly of robots for manufacturing, human-like dexterous manipulation, model-based integration and supply-chain design, autonomous navigation, perception in unstructured environments, education and training, and the fundamental safety of human-robot collaboration. At the beginning of 2015, the Japanese government released the "New Robotics Strategy for Japan," explicitly stating in its five-year action plan that it would "research and develop technologies such as data terminalization, networking, and cloud computing for next-generation robots." In recent years, the South Korean government has successively introduced several policies aimed at fostering the research, development, and application of third-generation intelligent robots. In 2012, South Korea released the "Robotics Future Strategy Vision 2022," with a policy focus on supporting Korean companies' entry into international markets and helping them seize the initiative in the commercialization of intelligent robotics. Driven vigorously by technological powerhouses such as the U.S., Japan, and Europe, over the past five years, prototypes, demonstration applications, and even practical systems of next-generation robots have continuously emerged.

　　From the perspective of China today, the market demand for next-generation industrial robots has yet to fully mature. However, the development and reserve of common technologies with strategic significance are particularly urgent. In pursuing the development of the next-generation robotics industry in China, we should first focus on strengthening the technological foundation of the robotics industry, vigorously promote the industrialization of existing robotic products, and accelerate the adoption and application of domestically branded robots in the Chinese market. We should also explore new models for technological R&D, encourage research institutions and enterprises to leverage their respective strengths, and establish multi-party national-level platforms for cutting-edge and common technology R&D and reserve in the field of next-generation industrial robotics. Starting from China’s national conditions and actual needs, we must break through core technologies for next-generation robots, develop prototype systems and commercial products, and speed up the industrialization process to seize the international leading position in next-generation robotics. For robotic products applied in different fields, we should adopt differentiated development strategies: On the one hand, taking enterprises as the core and supported by common technology platforms, we should prioritize the development of next-generation industrial robots, promote the alignment between supply and demand, and secure a leading edge in development. On the other hand, guided by market demands and closely attuned to domestic needs, we should focus on developing service robots for healthcare, elderly care, disability assistance, as well as specialized robots designed for operation in unique and challenging environments.