i卡會員

Artificial intelligence marks the industrial renaissance across the board. It has become a key indicator for countries around the world to show off their muscles. Technology heavyweights have been deploying deep learning platforms to develop applications such as facial recognition, image recognition, text recognition, image analytics, voice dialogues, smart surveillance and autonomous driving.

The industrial robotics industry in Taiwan has grown rapidly by riding the wave of technology. There are over 100 Taiwanese manufacturers of robot bodies, components, systems and distributors.

Cartesian robots built primarily with linear-drive components have attained significant market shares around the world.

The smart robotics industry in Taiwan is on a cusp similar to the one experienced by the computer industry thirty years ago. At that time, Taiwan was one of the global leaders in the manufacturing of ICT products. A smart firmware ecosystem required for the development of robots has taken shape. It is possible that the smart robotics industry will grow in strength by following the pattern of the computer industry. The advantage in the ICT supply chain also presents an opportunity in the development of autonomous vehicles, connected cars and smart cars.

Industries in Taiwan are known for their clusters. Take Greater Taichung for example, there is the Central Taiwan Science Park, the Taichung Gateway Park and the Precision Machinery Innovation Technology Park. The companies based in these industrial parks produce single-axis robots, articulated robots and cartesian robots. Some companies are involved in the integration of robotic systems and innovation in artificial intelligence. In sum, Taichung has become an important cluster of robotics companies and the hub of the smart robotics industry in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, different industry clusters in Taiwan are built on top of each other as a result of the high population density on this small island. As a result, different industries maintain good interactions. This explains why even tiny companies with less than ten employees are often involved in product development. The clustering of different industries contributes to the formation of a large number of small companies and a diversity of potential product portfolios.

With the gradual maturing of IoT (Internet-of-Things), the Industrial Technology Research Institute forecasts that the installation of articulated industrial robots  will exceed 420,000 units globally in 2019. Over the next three years, the installation of industrial robots will continue its steady growth. The number of sensors fitted to them will also increase in order to gather more data to send to the servers thereby enabling the automation of precision adjustment and fault detection. There will also be new deep learning techniques and more co-bots with higher loadings introduced on to the market. In the face of the emergence of the robotics industry, Taiwanese manufacturers are advised to work towards integration and upgrade in the following three directions:  

First, robotics products made in Taiwan have to offer high precision, high quality and high reliability. The fundamental industrial technology is critical. Therefore, it is necessary to pursue the domestic supply of components, metal materials, heat treatment technology, integrated gearmotors, sensors and harmonic drives.

The consumer ICT market and technology have matured, and it is time to identify new and promising applications. It is particularly important to extend Taiwan’s footprint into the industrial IoT segment, i.e. the synchronization of robots via communication to enable decision making. It is thus necessary to develop smart modules capable of collecting, processing and analyzing data.

Some companies and research institutions in Taiwan have developed six-axis articulated robots in recent years. It is hoped more success stories will come. Most manufacturers have experienced some issues in technology development or the selection of components such as controllers, high-precision motor encoders and reduction gear. As a consequence, many users in the market are choosing to buy foreign branded articulated robots.

In conclusion, the priority for industrial robot manufacturers in Taiwan should go beyond the development of robots. They should also work on integration in a systematic manner, to encompass processing, manufacturing efficiency, output yield and system reliability. The integration of processes in manufacturing systems and the knowhow of incorporating robots into different applications are the opportunities for Taiwanese players to take the lead.

In other words, Taiwan does not necessarily have to follow in the footsteps of Japan or Germany who lead the industrial robotics market by continually launching a variety of robots. Rather, technical services with high value-added and extensive knowledge should be an important option for Taiwan in the robotics industry. This means we should accumulate knowhow in applications and capability in system integration.

Finally, the automation system integrators should be able to provide highly customized smart automation services, so that different types of robots can be connected with machinery and electronic equipment. The digitalization of robotic systems requires the integration of hardware and software, and its implementation over the 5G communication network. The vision sees robots and controllers on production lines connected to the cloud, creating a complex network of smart robots operating with artificial intelligence.

The goal is to combine Taiwan’s existing foundation in ICT technology and its momentum in networking technology, in order to develop robots that meet market requirements. It is hoped that robots could be equipped with cognitive, learning and adaptive capabilities to cater to the manufacturing requirements for hybrid products that are high in variety and low in volume across different verticals. This is both the opportunity and the challenge for the robotics manufacturers in Taiwan.