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Cobots and AMRs may help producers enhance high quality, accuracy, productiveness, and profitability, stated Ujjwal Kumar, group president of Teradyne Robotics, throughout his Automate 2025 keynote. Credit: Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering
DETROIT — Unlike different automation, humanoid robots aren’t but prepared for widespread utilization in manufacturing, stated Ujjwal Kumar, ME, the group president of Teradyne Robotics, in his keynote at Automate 2025. Teradyne is the father or mother firm of Universal Robots and Mobile Industrial Robots.
Kumar gave his presentation, “Tech hype versus industrial need: Separating science fiction from scalable solutions,” on the annual commerce present and convention of the Association for Advancing Automation’s (A3). Automate had greater than 875 exhibitors, over 40,000 registrants, and greater than 140 convention periods on robotics, machine imaginative and prescient, synthetic intelligence, and different industrial automation matters.
Manufacturers have a number of necessities for robotics that humanoids can not but meet, stated Kumar. They embrace security, reliability, and the power to simply match into present infrastructure.
Autonomous cell robots (AMRs) can transfer materials autonomously and reliably. Collaborative robotic arms mounted on AMRs are already working in industrial purposes and have confirmed their maturity over the previous 10 years, Kumar stated.
The function of bodily AI, educating, studying, and adaptation is right here now, he added. This consists of dynamic path planning and adaptive behaviors. Kumar confirmed a video of a robotic putting in a drill bit in a hand drill, selecting up a block of wooden, and drilling. Another video clip confirmed a robotic folding eyeglasses closed and placing them right into a case.
Don’t get caught up in humanoid robotic hype
Kumar asserted that advances in robotics might result in unprecedented transformation of workplaces and folks’s day by day lives. Amid that pleasure, differentiating between hype and actuality is necessary, he noticed.
Automation must drive actual worth, stated Kumar. How can AI-enabled robots profit business, and the way can scalable, open platform applied sciences advance automation?
Robotics and AI make headlines nearly day by day, Kumar identified. Humanoids appear like they’re prepared for plant flooring use right now, however scaling such robots to industrial settings stays a problem. Headlines about humanoid robots can distract from actual wants, he noticed.
“We don’t have the luxury of chasing science fiction,” stated Kumar. “We need to deliver ROI [return on investment] now.”
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Understand the labor equation
Kumar drew comparisons between his first job at General Motors in 1999 and right now.
“Now I see a lot of problems ready to be solved, and the whole ecosystem has to work together,” he stated. “We are in the front seat with several of you to solve labor, ergonomic, and other challenges.”
Kumar claimed that the labor equation is damaged throughout industries, with too few expert employees accessible (see picture under). According to the United Nations, 2024 statistics confirmed that developed economies have been shedding workforce capability as shopper demand surges. The inhabitants aged 65 and over will exceed these 24 and youthful quickly after 2035, it famous.
Across industries, there are fewer arms to maintain factories operating, and even fewer to do bodily demanding jobs, Kumar stated. “There’s a widening gap between the work that needs doing and available workers,” he stated. “We must align factories with the expectations of the next generation.”
According to March 2025 information from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, 622,000 manufacturing jobs are unfilled, and that’s earlier than current reshoring efforts, Kumar stated.
“We have a 20% labor force shortage for durable goods manufacturing,” he added. “We need automation solutions to step in immediately, not later. We need scalable solutions that work today.”
The labor equation is damaged for manufacturing, and cobots and AMRs may help, stated Teradyne’s Kumar. 2024 U.N. numbers present that, in developed economies, the inhabitants 65 and over will exceed these 24 and youthful quickly after 2035. Source: Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering
Humanoids provide promise, have limits
The attract of humanoid robots is powerful, pushed by science fiction, Kumar stated. Goldman Sachs has predicted a $38 billion marketplace for humanoid robots by 2035. Morgan Stanley has stated 63 million humanoid robots shall be deployed by 2050, globally, with 75% of job classes affected.
Candidates for humanoid utilization embrace elder care, catastrophe response, and, ultimately, manufacturing. To get from right now’s ideas to widespread plant-floor purposes, humanoid robots have a protracted option to go, stated Kumar. He acknowledged that Agility Robotics, Boston Dynamics, and others are making progress.
“These are important steps, but early ones,” stated Kumar. “With today’s labor shortages, we cannot start with what is possible. We need to start with what is needed. Form follows function, not the other way around.”
Battery life for humanoid robots is often two to 4 hours, payload is usually round 20 kg (44 lb.), deployments are within the pilot part, and rules are immature, he stated. These methods aren’t but prepared for widespread deployment in manufacturing or warehousing.
Most humanoids require energetic management and are probably unstable for a lot of purposes, added Kumar. He cited a Deutsche Bank prediction from February 2025, that stated the humanoid robotic market would increase from $75 billion in 2025 to $1 trillion by 2050.
Industrial automation should meet 5 wants
“I don’t see humanoid robots significantly impacting manufacturing anytime soon,” Kumar stated. “Task robotics are more efficient and cost-effective. Humanoid robots have compelling opportunities in many applications, but not for manufacturing and logistics, not yet.”
According to producer suggestions, there are 5 necessities for automation:
- Safety and reliability
- Real, measurable outcomes with productiveness and accuracy
- Improved work environments
- Fit present infrastructure
- Ease of use with quick, versatile deployment and seamless integration — with no battalion of customized programmers
Respondents to a 2024 Universal Robots manufacturing survey stated they need automation to enhance product high quality, enhance productiveness, enhance accuracy, and enhance funds. Credit: Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering
From the 2024 Universal Robots producer survey (see above), respondents need actual, measurable outcomes:
- 54% enhance product high quality
- 50% enhance productiveness and meet rising demand
- 49% enhance accuracy
- 36% enhance funds (chopping prices, elevating income)
Why cobots and AMRs match right now’s automation wants
At current, humanoid robots are extremely variable, with out economies of scale, requiring months or years of planning, however automation must implement adjustments extra quickly, stated Teradyne’s Kumar. Today’s robots can tackle quick wants with flexibility, he stated.
Automation must ship on payload, precision, ease of integration, and manufacturing circulate, in addition to be tailor-made for the surroundings, Kumar defined. Robots are higher off with wheels now.
Cobots are designed to work alongside individuals and might deal with duties in workcells exactly, with out added complexities. They are sometimes the appropriate instruments for the job, Kumar stated.
Platforms matter, from stand-alone robots to scalable options, he stated. Universal Robots has pioneered an ecosystem with companions to adapt applied sciences for a variety of purposes, from welding to palletizing.
More than 50 options can be found by the UR+ community to resolve actual buyer issues. The open platform supplies an open platform, velocity, ease of integration, and depth of choices as a result of nobody firm can do all of it, stated Kumar.
For instance, the Robotiq PE20 palletizing system at Universal Robots’ Automate sales space can function with an 18 kg (39.6 lb.) payload at 12 cycles per minute with imaginative and prescient steerage. It suits into present end-of-line configurations with no customized code required, stated Kumar.
The three- to five-year imaginative and prescient from Teradyne Robotics just isn’t catching up, however staying forward, he stated.
“Automation won’t be optional. It’s foundational,” Kumar asserted. “Automation empowers, does not replace, the workforce. Don’t build around the robot. Build around the problem.”
Combinations of AMRs and collaborative robots are already accessible. Teradyne’s MC600 cell manipulator lately received an RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award.
Robots and automation may help business now
Kumar listed 5 methods during which automation may help business now:
- Start with perform: Build options round your duties.
- Harness expertise: Use mature, practical, well-integrated automation. Too many industries are caught in Industry 3.0.
- Embrace open ecosystem: Leverage platforms that speed up integration.
- Invest in flexibility: Choose applications that evolve with you.
- Upskill the workforce: Train individuals to collaborate with automation instruments.
Use an ordinary configurable platform for {hardware} and software program, Kumar prompt. Teradyne Robotics’ ustomers embrace Analog Devices, Matthews International, NVIDIA, and Siemens.
The UR+ ecosystem has greater than 300 companions, 500 purposes, over 400 methods integrators, and greater than 200 unique tools producers (OEMs) with 100,000 cobots shipped.
The MiR Go ecosystem for Mobile Industrial Robots exceeds 60 companions, has greater than 150 purposes, consists of 50 methods integrators, and 4 OEMs with 11,000 AMRs shipped.
“Our solution is to work with you and partners to develop the tools that we all need today,” concluded Kumar.
Editor’s word: This article was syndicated from The Robot Report sibling website Control Engineering.
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