Robot Race: China Tops Global Charts, Know Where India Stands

In the day and age where robots and artificial intelligence (AI) are playing an increasingly prominent and disruptive role in manufacturing, China has taken a giant leap in developing and installing factory robots. As per a latest report by Frankfurt-based International Federation of Robotics (IFR), factories in China installed nearly 300,000 new robots last year, more than the rest of the world combined. Indian factories installed 9,100 robots.

"China is by far the world's largest market in 2024, representing 54 per cent of global deployments. The latest figures show that 295,000 industrial robots have been installed - the highest annual total on record," the report highlighted.

The Asian nation now operates more than two million factory robots, with Chinese factories getting better at making them as well. In 2024, for the first time ever, Chinese robot makers sold more units at home than foreign competitors, with their domestic market share rising to 57 per cent in 2024 from 47 per cent in 2023.

"China's strategy to modernise its manufacturing base has reached a new milestone in the country's automation push. The robot stock doubled within three years, surpassing 1 million units in 2021 and now counting two million units in 2024," said IFR President Takayuki Ito.

Meanwhile, India displayed a seven per cent growth, with the automotive sector being the biggest driver, accounting for a market share of 45 per cent. In terms of annual installations, India ranks sixth worldwide, one place up behind Germany.

The report noted that the robotics market in China was showing no signs of slowing down, with demand increasing across sectors.

"There is still a lot of potential in Chinese manufacturing for 10 per cent growth on average each year until 2028."

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Humanoid robots

China is leading the data charts despite the report not including humanoid robots that are largely in experimental stages worldwide. In July, robot start-up Unitree Robotics, based in the tech hot spot of Hangzhou, unveiled its humanoid robots that cost a little over Rs 5 lakh ($6,000), rivalling other companies producing similar bots.

The new R1 robot can fist-fight and even do cartwheels, highlighting the significant advances made in robotic locomotion and balance by the Chinese company.

Unitree's humanoid robots, if perfected, could take the industry by storm as they cost a fraction of what robots developed by Boston Dynamics, a leading American player in the industry and Elon Musk's Tesla Optimus company do.