In recent years, with the increasing demand for industrial automation, global sales and sales of industrial robots have continued to grow. According to the 2023 World Robot Report released by the International Federation of Robotics, global industrial robot sales exceeded 500000 units for the second consecutive year in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 5%. China is the world's largest robot market, with industrial robot sales in the Chinese market accounting for more than half of the global market in 2022. The International Federation of Robotics predicts that the global robot market will reach $66 billion by 2024. Uniclaft Nagra Co., Ltd. is a Japanese company that mainly produces precision components such as automotive steering, transmissions, and household appliances, with a wider range of application fields. Recently, the reporter visited this factory and saw several robots installing suction cups in the process section of gearbox screw production, completing multiple machine positions such as feeding trays, thread processing, and punching for material retrieval and discharge... The repeated positioning accuracy of the robot operation is within 0.02 millimeters, which is thinner than the hair. These industrial robots come from China Jieka Robotics Co., Ltd., which focuses on innovative research and development of the new generation of collaborative robots and smart factories. According to Nakamura Geng, the head of the technical department at Unikraft Nagra Co., Ltd., the Jieka robot can use six languages and has a simple and easy to understand operating interface. Workers only need to learn for 2 hours to easily control it. This robot is also equipped with specialized application software, which allows for remote control without the need for wired connections to external communication devices, making it very convenient. With the flourishing of a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, the integration of new generation digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and sensing with the robotics industry is accelerating, promoting the pace of technological innovation in the robotics industry, making the performance of robots in existing application areas stronger, and also opening up new application areas. Li Xiaohua, a researcher at the Chinese path to modernization Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told reporters that early industrial robots mainly replaced workers' heavy manual labor or engaged in work in harsh environments, such as in automobile manufacturing, shipbuilding, chemical industry and other fields, engaged in handling, loading and unloading, welding, spraying and other work. In recent years, the application fields of industrial robots have begun to expand to high-precision scenarios in industries such as computers, communication, and consumer electronics. According to experts, the global demand for industrial robots is mainly concentrated in countries with large manufacturing scales and relatively high levels of automation. Currently, more than 70% of the world's industrial robots are deployed in China, Japan, the United States, South Korea, and Germany. In 2022, these five major markets accounted for 79.1% of the global sales of industrial robots. According to a report from the International Federation of Robotics, the number of newly installed industrial robots in factories worldwide in 2022 was 553000, with Asia accounting for 73%, Europe for 15%, and the Americas for 10%. From the perspective of industry structure, more than half of the global demand for industrial robots comes from the automotive and electrical electronics industries. In addition, industrial robots are also widely used on production lines in industries such as food and medicine, helping enterprises reduce costs and enhance competitiveness by improving production efficiency and accuracy. "Driven by the advancement of digital technology, robot suppliers and system integrators are offering new applications and improving the speed and quality of existing ones. Interconnected robots are changing the manufacturing industry, and robots will increasingly operate as part of an interconnected digital ecosystem," according to a report by the International Federation of Robotics. The Chinese market has enormous potential. China is the world's largest robot market. Data shows that the application of industrial robots has covered 60 major industries and 168 medium industries in China's national economy. China has become the world's largest industrial robot market for 10 consecutive years. In 2022, the production of industrial robots in China reached 443000 sets, a year-on-year increase of over 20%, and the installed capacity accounted for over 50% of the world's total. According to data from the International Federation of Robotics, China installed approximately 290000 industrial robots in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 5%. In recent years, globally renowned robotics companies such as ABB, Fanuc, and Yaskawa Electric have entered the Chinese market. In December 2022, ABB Robot Super Factory was officially completed and put into operation in Pudong New Area, Shanghai. This super factory has an investment of 150 million US dollars and covers an area of 67000 square meters. It is ABB's largest robot research and development, production, and application base in the world. An Shiming, President of ABB Group's Robotics and Discrete Automation Division, stated that China is the fastest-growing robot market in the world, with enormous potential for future development. The enormous opportunities in the Chinese market are crucial for ABB Group. Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics, said, "In order to serve China's vibrant market, domestic and foreign robot suppliers have established production factories in China and continuously increased production capacity." "In 2022, the Chinese industrial robot market accounted for 52% of the global market. It is worth noting that in the past decade, the number of domestically produced industrial robots in China has grown rapidly, with almost half of the economic sectors having applications of domestically branded robots." Chen Dan, Deputy Secretary General of the Robotics Branch of the China Machinery Industry Federation, told reporters. With the rapid development of China's industrial robot industry, more and more domestic industrial robot enterprises are accelerating their overseas expansion. According to data from the International Federation of Robotics, China's industrial robot exports reached a new high in 2023, reaching 118300 units. Overseas best-selling robot products are mainly used in industries such as home appliance manufacturing, automotive manufacturing, communication electronics, logistics and warehousing. In addition, the application growth in the semiconductor and new energy industries is relatively fast. In the Japanese market, companies such as Toyota and Aisin are also users of Chinese industrial robots. Wang Yanqi, Sales Director of Jieka Japan, told reporters that China has the world's largest, most comprehensive, and most complete manufacturing system. Chinese robot companies have advantages in application and practical scenarios, laying a solid foundation for overseas cooperation. In addition to Japan, we are also actively developing into the European and Southeast Asian markets. According to the latest data from the International Federation of Robotics, global industrial robot sales are expected to exceed 590000 units in 2023. It is expected that from 2023 to 2026, due to the increasing tendency of enterprises to use advanced robot technology to optimize production processes, improve production efficiency and product quality, the annual compound growth rate of the global industrial robot market will reach 7%, and sales are expected to increase to 718000 units. The global robot market will maintain a good growth trend. According to a report by industry consulting firm Rui Industry, as the global economy gradually recovers, developed countries will pay more attention to the robotics industry in the future as labor costs increase, robot usability and configuration efficiency improve. There are many industries and application scenarios to be developed in the manufacturing industry of the Chinese market, and there is a lot of room for robot penetration in the future. China will still play a supporting role in the global growth of robots. Therefore, the global industrial robot market is showing positive development prospects, which will further promote the transformation and upgrading of the global manufacturing industry. Deng Zhou, Director of the Industrial Development Research Office of the Institute of Industrial Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, stated that industrial robots are an important carrier and platform for emerging technologies, as well as a prerequisite and foundation for the application of new generation digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and big data in the manufacturing process. Industrial robots have outstanding advantages in dealing with complex environments, stable and precise operations, uninterrupted work, and achieving information interconnection, and have a huge future development prospect. Faced with new opportunities, many industrialized countries are rushing to expand their industrial robot industry, intensifying systematic planning and policy support. According to experts, while the United States continues to promote the popularization and functional improvement of traditional industrial robots in the field of large-scale manufacturing, it focuses on promoting the research and development of human-machine integration and highly intelligent new generation robots that adapt to new manufacturing modes such as personalization and flexibility; Japan is forming a complete industrial chain with close connections, symbiotic cooperation, and clear division of labor between upstream component suppliers and downstream customers. Robots play an important role in promoting national economic growth and alleviating a series of social problems caused by aging; Germany has a world leading robotics industry and talent pool. In recent years, emerging low-cost robots have given new impetus to the German market, driving the growth of robot installation in Germany. The International Federation of Robotics predicted earlier this year that the five major trends in robotics in 2024 include artificial intelligence, collaborative robots, mobile robots, digital twins, and humanoid robots. Marina Bill stated that robotics technology is a multidisciplinary field, and the converged technologies are creating intelligent solutions for a wide range of tasks. These advances will continue to impact the integration of industrial and service robotics fields, as well as future work. (Lai Xin She)