It said the use of industrial robots in factories doubled in five years – from 66 robots per 10,000 human workers in 2015, to 126 per 10,000 in 2020.
Robot orders were up 21% overall in 2021 and increased 40% in the first quarter of 2022, according to the Association for Advancing Automation.
Us vs them? Robots and related technologies are typically portrayed in pop culture and the media as the enemies of human workers. But this isn’t borne out by the facts.
South Korea is the world’s most automated country, according to IFR, with a robot density (robots per 10,000 human workers) of 932, which is almost eight times the global average of 126. The country’s robot density has been increasing by 10% every year since 2015, yet unemployment has remained steady at around 3.5% for two decades.
According to a study conducted by the World Economic Forum before the pandemic, while some industries or roles will see job losses, new technologies will spark a net increase of 58 million jobs globally over the next few years.
In some areas – such as subsea engineering, offshore maintenance, nuclear decommissioning, deep mining, and space – robots can also carry out tasks that are dangerous for humans, it said.
Robot nations
Second to South Korea on the list of the most automated countries is Singapore, which is followed by Japan, Germany, Sweden, Hong Kong, the US, Chinese Taipei, China and Denmark, which are tied for ninth, and Italy.
Hong Kong moved up one spot in 2020, going from sixth to seventh, while the US went from ninth to seventh and Denmark dropped from sixth to ninth. But China saw the greatest leap, with a robot density of 246, taking from 15th to ninth. In 2015, it ranked 25th, with a robot density of just 49.
Though India doubled the number of industrial robots in its factories from 2014 to 2019, IFR said in a 2020 report, the country still has a long way to go, with just four industrial robots per 10,000 employees.
Types of robots
While applications vary greatly, today’s robots can generally be grouped into six categories, according to Intel.
Autonomous mobile robots: AMRs are mobile and can make decisions in real-time. They are fitted with sensors and cameras to “see” their surroundings, and processors to analyse information and make informed decisions.
On May 30, Reuters reported that after struggling to find staff during the pandemic, businesses in Singapore have increasingly turned to deploying such robots to help carry out a range of tasks, from surveying construction sites to scanning library bookshelves.
Source: Boston Dynamics
The workforce includes ‘Spot’, the four-legged robot built by Boston Dynamics and made famous by YouTube. They are used to scan sections of mud and gravel to check on work progress at construction sites and send the data back to the control room.
Automated guided vehicles: These are similar to AMRs, except that they travel on tracks or predefined paths and often require oversight. They are commonly used in warehouses and factories to deliver materials and move items.
Articulated robots: Also known as robotic arms, these emulate the functions of a human arm and feature anywhere from two to 10 rotary joints, making them ideal for tasks like welding, assembling, sealing, material handling, picking, cutting, painting, and spraying.
Humanoids: While these may be technically classified as AMRs, the term is used for robots that perform human-centric functions and often take human-like forms.
Source: Tesla
Examples include Tesla Bot, aka Optimus, a general-purpose robotic humanoid under development at Tesla. CEO Elon Musk claimed at the company’s Artificial Intelligence Day event last August that Tesla would likely build a prototype by 2022.
On Friday, Musk said on Twitter that Tesla may have a functioning Optimus up and running within months, as he postponed the company’s second AI Day until September 30.
Cobots: While most other types of robots perform their tasks independently, or even in isolation, cobots are meant to work alongside human workers to help them accomplish more. They’re often used to eliminate manual, dangerous, or strenuous tasks.
Hybrids: These are a combination of various types of robots, designed for more complex tasks. Examples include an AMR fitted with a robotic arm.
Top Stories By Our Reporters
The funding winter:
Startups switch gears as VC large funding deals dry up
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The flood of venture capital directed at Indian startups in recent years is drying up. Big-ticket funding rounds have suffered a huge blow in the past two months, and several global investors including Sequoia Capital have cautioned entrepreneurs about turbulent times ahead.
Liquidity crunch prompts NBFCs, venture debt firms to eye supply chain finance: Non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and venture debt firms are getting into the business of supply chain finance (SCF). The move comes amid a liquidity squeeze following the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) decision to hike interest rates, even as startups are seeing increased customer stickiness.
Layoffs continue
FrontRow lays off 145 employees, MPL to sack 100
Edtech firm FrontRow has laid off close to 145 full-time and contractual employees, almost 30% of its workforce, as funding dries up amid the market downturn. Meanwhile, esports app Mobile Premier League (MPL) is laying off 100 people, or about 10% of its workforce, and is exiting Indonesia, the company wrote in an email to employees, which we have reviewed.
Edtech startup Udayy sacks employees and shuts down: Edtech startup Udayy has fired 100-120 employees and shut down. The company’s business has slowed since physical schools began to reopen.
Indian IT firms are seeing record attrition even as startups are laying off workers: Top Indian IT service providers have become the biggest poaching ground for the Big Four accounting and consultancy firms, KPMG, Deloitte, PwC, and EY, which are fuelling record attrition rates at these firms, data exclusively sourced by ET showed. Over 15% of the net addition by the Big Four in FY22 are from the top five IT companies.
Sequoia cuts ties with Algo Legal
Venture capital fund Sequoia Capital has shot off a note to a select group of portfolio companies informing them that it has stopped working with law firm Algo Legal post an investigation at one of its investee firms, multiple people aware who had received the email told ET.
Ecommerce corner
Swiggy in contention to buy Metro AG’s India operation
Swiggy has emerged as a possible contender for the India operations of German wholesaler Metro AG, executives with knowledge of the matter told us. Thailand’s CP Group and Reliance Retail are the other two likely candidates for a possible acquisition of Metro Cash & Carry at the moment, they said. We reported on May 20 that the wholesaler, which operates 31 cash-and-carry stores in India, has approached more than 10 companies to acquire its India operations for an estimated $1.5 billion to $1.7 billion. Metro AG, which set up its first store in the country in 2003, reported a turnover of Rs 6,738.3 crore from its India unit in FY21.
Reliance Retail pilots grocery delivery service through new platform, app: Reliance Retail has started instant grocery delivery service through a new platform and app under the JioMart Express brand, with trials currently ongoing in Navi Mumbai. The company plans to expand the service by this calendar year end to more than 200 cities and towns where JioMart is currently operational , two industry executives said.
Tech policy
MeitY’s proposed changes to IT rules withdrawn within hours
An official draft proposing changes to the country’s technology and social media rules was abruptly withdrawn on Thursday, hours after it had been made public. The proposed changes included creating one or more grievance appellate committees that review and possibly overturn content moderation decisions by social media companies.
MeitY withdraws circular on not sharing copies of Aadhaar cards: On Sunday, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) withdrew a circular issued by a regional office of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) that asked people to not share photocopies of their Aadhaar cards.
ExpressVPN rejects new VPN rules, to pull all servers from India: ExpressVPN has announced that it will remove all of its VPN servers in India in response to the government’s new rules for VPN companies, which are scheduled to take effect on June 27.
China updates
TikTok owner Bytedance in talks to relaunch in India
Bytedance, parent company of TikTok, is looking to strike a new partnership in India and hire former and new employees as it seeks to re-enter one of the world’s largest internet markets, several sources told us.
Chinese funds to face more scrutiny on board appointments: Chinese nationals as well as those from Hong Kong who are appointed as directors on boards of Indian companies will need security clearance, according to a government notification issued on June 1. The rules, in fact, will apply to people from all countries that share a land border with India.
Xiaomi India names Alvin Tse as India head, Anuj Sharma as CMO in big rejig: Xiaomi has appointed Alvin Tse as general manager for its operations in India, the company announced on Friday. Tse replaces Manu Jain, who was elevated to group vice president at Xiaomi last year.
IT corner
Some IT workers start voluntarily returning to office
More employees are voluntarily reporting to work from offices at IT service providers such as Infosys, HCL Technologies, Wipro and Tech Mahindra, though these companies haven’t yet mandated a return to office.
Infosys to sharpen focus on cloud, digital biz: Infosys sees a huge opportunity in the cloud and digital business and will continue to focus on expanding its capabilities in these areas, chief executive Salil Parekh said on Tuesday.
ETtech Done Deals
Software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup MoEngage, Math tutoring startup Cuemath, and card-based lending and payment solutions provider Slice were the other startups that landed big bucks. Here’s a look at the top funding deals of the week.
Sanjeev Bikhchandani-led Info Edge has been investing in Housing.com founder Rahul Yadav’s latest startup, Broker Network. Operated by parent 4B Networks, it provides a technology platform to help brokers connect with properties, buyers and other brokers.
Binance Labs, the venture capital and incubation arm of crypto exchange Binance, has closed a $500 million fund from investors such as DST Global, Breyer Capital and others.
14 new unicorns in Jan-June: India saw 14 companies join the unicorn club from January 1 to June 1, 2022, according to data from market intelligence provider Tracxn. The same period last year saw 13 companies turn unicorn, Tracxn said.
Veteran banker and deal maker Sanjay Nayar is setting up a new $135 million fund to invest in early-stage technology startups. The India chairman of private equity behemoth KKR is looking to fill up a funding gap left by global institutional venture capital firms, which have turned cautious on India bets.
Curated by Judy Franko in Bengaluru.
That’s all from us this week. Stay safe.
