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Japanese producers are liable for 40% of robotic gross sales world wide. To grasp the worldwide robotics market, a glance inside Japan is indispensable. iREX, which claims to be the world’s largest robotics present, is an effective way to just do that.

iREX 2023 was packed. There have been 654 exhibitors, making it the most important present since its inception. The primary three days alone attracted 120,000 guests to Tokyo—3 times greater than Automatica in Munich and even 4 instances greater than Automate in Detroit.

After an absence of 4 years, I attended the present final week. Listed below are my observations.

1. Extra cobots with value-added purposes

Collaborative robots (cobots) took on an much more distinguished position this time. Yamaha launched a 7-axis cobot. Common Robots launched its new UR30 some large-load cobots on the present. FANUC and DENSO positioned some merchandise from the identical class, which had already been launched earlier this yr, prominently.

FANUC, DENSO, and UR offered some attention-grabbing demos of excessive pressure torque tightening, precision meeting, sprucing, and screw seating inspection – purposes that require clever use of built-in energy sensors. FANUC additionally highlighted its easy direct instructing capabilities for welding, powder coating or with payloads as much as 30 kg.

The truth that a number of massive producers gave cobots such a distinguished presence highlights the strategic significance they’re now giving this product class.

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2. Zero educate robotics

Machine imaginative and prescient mixed with automated path era obtained a lift since my final go to. “Zero educate” is the brand new buzzword.

Conventional purposes are random half choosing and straightforward palletizing. This has been proven by a mess of robotics producers, in addition to machine imaginative and prescient corporations which might be additionally providing robotic movement management – corresponding to Mujin from Japan or Mech-Thoughts from China. The previous additionally offered its TruckBot, an autonomous robotic that may unload each truck trailers and transport containers at a price of as much as 1,000 circumstances per hour.

FANUC confirmed auto path era for arc welding. Each FANUC and Yaskawa confirmed zero-programming options for straightforward palletizing. Underneath the title “Motoman Subsequent,” Yaskawa offered some purposes for verticals corresponding to dishwashing, meals inspection and sorting, and laboratories. At this level, these are extra demonstrations of what can technically be finished, as Yaskawa is simply beginning to provide these options to clients.

FANUC confirmed auto path era for arc welding at iREX 2023. | Credit score: Georg Stieler

NACHI and OMRON confirmed corresponding purposes for the dynamic placement of FPC connectors in digital merchandise. They claimed {that a} barely completely different model was already utilized in electronics manufacturing.

DENSO offered some spectacular purposes of its real-time management software program, TwinCAT, realized in collaboration with Beckhoff, a voice-controlled cobot utility and a few clear or shiny workpiece choosing in collaboration with Cambrian.

Extra machine imaginative and prescient together with automated and dynamic path planning additionally means good enterprise prospects for NVIDIA, which was additionally an exhibitor and entertains partnerships with a number of of the main Japanese robotic producers.

3. Variable-mix, variable-volume automated traces

The cubicles of OMRON and Yaskawa featured variable-mix, variable-volume automated traces. These traces showcased cell cobots and layout-free manufacturing, enabling adaptability within the manufacturing atmosphere and on-site knowledge administration for steady productiveness and high quality enchancment. Yaskawa is utilizing its I3-Mechatronics platform for this, a promising strategy after Japanese automation suppliers got here to embrace the idea of interconnected manufacturing processes comparatively late. Yaskawa’s new YRM-X controller controls a number of machines alongside an entire line.

4. Excessive-payload robots

Like in different international locations, Japanese robotics corporations have a legacy within the automotive business. That is nonetheless mirrored within the introduction of some high-payload robots. FANUC launched a brand new serial hyperlink robotic with a 500 kg payload, overflip functionality and built-in 2D and 3D cameras. Goal purposes is the dealing with of heavy automotive components. Yaskawa offered the Motoman-ME1000, a SCARA robotic with a payload of 1000 kg tailor-made for the dealing with of electrical automobile batteries.

Japanese robotic maker Man-Machine Synergy Effectors confirmed a master-slave high-place working robotic at iREX 2023. | Credit score: Georg Stieler

5. Robust presence of Chinese language gamers

Fifty out of the 121 worldwide exhibitors have been from China. They have been primarily producers of cobots (AUBO Robotics, Elite Robots), cell robots, machine imaginative and prescient (Mech-Thoughts Robotics) and core elements. Japan, as a big market with shut geographic proximity, is a chance for Chinese language gamers to mitigate the cut-throat competitors at residence.

6. Japanese robotics corporations collaborate on SME automation

Perhaps crucial information for the Japanese robotics business lately got here a day earlier than the beginning of iREX 2023. The Robotic Industrial Primary Know-how Collaborative Innovation Partnership (ROBOCIP), a bunch together with main Japanese robotics and automation corporations, introduced that they have been making a joint database to facilitate the introduction of robots at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

In response to a white paper by the Japanese authorities, SMEs are liable for 99.7% of Japanese corporations, but the value-added per employee for the nation’s SMEs in manufacturing is simply over 1/3 of that for its massive companies. On the similar time, SMEs usually lack the funds for capital funding.

The brand new system is meant to hurry up the automation of this sector by sharing some fundamental data on robotic specs, operations and software program. It’s set to be out there in 2024 and is meant to scale back integration prices by as much as 60%. Entry will likely be free for smaller corporations at first.

Apart from robotics producers corresponding to FANUC, DENSO, Panasonic, Yaskawa, NACHI, Kawasaki, Epson, Daihen and Mitsubishi, the initiative is supported by the College of Tokyo, the Nationwide Institute of Superior Industrial Science and Know-how and the New Power and Industrial Know-how Growth Group. This system is open for additional individuals to extend the completeness of the database and finally the competitiveness of the Japanese manufacturing sector.

Sooner or later, the group is contemplating combining generative synthetic intelligence with its database to additional decrease the edge for automation. An identical strategy by Google Deepmind and 33 analysis establishments lately has proven some promising outcomes.

This announcement was according to the theme of this yr’s present – “Sustainable Society Introduced by Robotics” – emphasizing options to world challenges and the creation of a sustainable society via collaborative efforts between producers, system integrators and customers.

Outlook

Initiatives to spice up productiveness via extra automation are urgently wanted in Japan. The nation’s financial system has been stagnating for 3 a long time and its post-pandemic restoration stays fragile.

A shrinking inhabitants additional limits the upsides to its development. Regardless of Japan’s distinctive cultural traits, corresponding to its strategy to immigration, its developments can function a mannequin for different international locations dealing with growing old populations.

The excessive degree of innovation seen at iREX and the concerted efforts by Japan’s main robotics and automation producers, corresponding to a joint database to share data as tips on how to function and alter robots (doubtlessly enhanced by generative AI quickly), present an optimistic outlook for the longer term.

As corporations are re-evaluating their geopolitical dangers and are transferring a few of their provide chains, Japanese manufacturing facility automation corporations stand to profit.

Company tradition in Japan appears to be altering, too. Company governance reform pressures administration groups to reinforce company worth and return on fairness. The typical age of CEOs at corporations within the Nikkei inventory index has dropped by 12 years during the last decade. And Japan’s startup ecosystem remains to be small relative to its GDP, though it’s turning into more and more vibrant: investments grew 10-fold from 2013-2022, and the variety of VC funds quadrupled.

Notions of those modifications are already turning into seen at Japanese robotics and automation enterprises. International corporations talked about they’re turning into extra open to collaboration with a brand new management era. I’m already excited for the following iREX in two years.

In regards to the creator

Georg Stieler is Managing Director, Asia, of Stieler Know-how & Advertising and marketing Consultants. He established the Asia department of his household’s consulting enterprise in Shanghai in 2011. Collectively along with his workforce, he provides pivotal analyses and development methods for a few of the globally main robotics and automation corporations. Along with his major position, Georg serves as an advisor for high-potential start-ups.