Cobots and AMRs may also help producers enhance high quality, accuracy, productiveness, and profitability, stated Ujjwal Kumar, group president of Teradyne Robotics, throughout his Automate 2025 keynote. Credit score: Mark T. Hoske, Management Engineering
DETROIT — Not like 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 mum or dad firm of Common Robots and Cell Industrial Robots.
Kumar gave his presentation, “Tech hype versus industrial want: Separating science fiction from scalable options,” on the annual commerce present and convention of the Affiliation 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.
Producers have a number of necessities for robotics that humanoids can’t but meet, stated Kumar. They embody security, reliability, and the flexibility to simply match into present infrastructure.
Autonomous cellular robots (AMRs) can transfer materials autonomously and reliably. Collaborative robotic arms mounted on AMRs are already working in industrial functions and have confirmed their maturity over the previous 10 years, Kumar stated.
The function of bodily AI, instructing, studying, and adaptation is right here now, he added. This contains dynamic path planning and adaptive behaviors. Kumar confirmed a video of a robotic putting in a drill bit in a hand drill, choosing up a block of wooden, and drilling. One other 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 may result in unprecedented transformation of workplaces and folks’s each day lives. Amid that pleasure, differentiating between hype and actuality is essential, 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 virtually each day, Kumar identified. Humanoids seem like they’re prepared for plant ground use right this moment, 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 luxurious of chasing science fiction,” stated Kumar. “We have to ship ROI [return on investment] now.”
Now accepting session submissions!
Perceive the labor equation
Kumar drew comparisons between his first job at Basic Motors in 1999 and right this moment.
“Now I see quite a lot of issues able to be solved, and the entire ecosystem has to work collectively,” he stated. “We’re within the entrance seat with a number of of you to resolve labor, ergonomic, and different challenges.”
Kumar claimed that the labor equation is damaged throughout industries, with too few expert staff obtainable (see picture beneath). In line with the United Nations, 2024 statistics confirmed that developed economies have been dropping workforce capability as client demand surges. The inhabitants aged 65 and over will exceed these 24 and youthful quickly after 2035, it famous.
Throughout industries, there are fewer fingers to maintain factories working, and even fewer to do bodily demanding jobs, Kumar stated. “There’s a widening hole between the work that wants doing and obtainable staff,” he stated. “We should align factories with the expectations of the subsequent era.”
In line with March 2025 knowledge 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’ve a 20% labor pressure scarcity for sturdy items manufacturing,” he added. “We want automation options to step in instantly, not later. We want scalable options that work right this moment.”
The labor equation is damaged for manufacturing, and cobots and AMRs may also 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. Supply: Mark T. Hoske, Management 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 will likely be deployed by 2050, globally, with 75% of job classes affected.
Candidates for humanoid utilization embody elder care, catastrophe response, and, finally, manufacturing. To get from right this moment’s ideas to widespread plant-floor functions, humanoid robots have a protracted solution to go, stated Kumar. He acknowledged that Agility Robotics, Boston Dynamics, and others are making progress.
“These are essential steps, however early ones,” stated Kumar. “With right this moment’s labor shortages, we can’t begin with what is feasible. We have to begin with what is required. Kind follows operate, not the opposite method round.”
Battery life for humanoid robots is often two to 4 hours, payload is mostly round 20 kg (44 lb.), deployments are within the pilot part, and rules are immature, he stated. These techniques usually are not but prepared for widespread deployment in manufacturing or warehousing.
Most humanoids require energetic management and are probably unstable for a lot of functions, added Kumar. He cited a Deutsche Financial institution prediction from February 2025, that stated the humanoid robotic market would develop from $75 billion in 2025 to $1 trillion by 2050.
Industrial automation should meet 5 wants
“I don’t see humanoid robots considerably impacting manufacturing anytime quickly,” Kumar stated. “Process robotics are extra environment friendly and cost-effective. Humanoid robots have compelling alternatives in lots of functions, however not for manufacturing and logistics, not but.”
In line with producer suggestions, there are 5 necessities for automation:
- Security and reliability
- Actual, measurable outcomes with productiveness and accuracy
- Improved work environments
- Match present infrastructure
- Ease of use with quick, versatile deployment and seamless integration — with out a battalion of customized programmers
Respondents to a 2024 Common Robots manufacturing survey stated they need automation to enhance product high quality, improve productiveness, enhance accuracy, and enhance funds. Credit score: Mark T. Hoske, Management Engineering
From the 2024 Common Robots producer survey (see above), respondents need actual, measurable outcomes:
- 54% enhance product high quality
- 50% improve productiveness and meet rising demand
- 49% enhance accuracy
- 36% enhance funds (reducing prices, elevating income)
Why cobots and AMRs match right this moment’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 modifications extra quickly, stated Teradyne’s Kumar. At the moment’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 setting, 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’re usually the suitable instruments for the job, Kumar stated.
Platforms matter, from stand-alone robots to scalable options, he stated. Common Robots has pioneered an ecosystem with companions to adapt applied sciences for a variety of functions, from welding to palletizing.
Greater than 50 options can be found by means of the UR+ community to resolve actual buyer issues. The open platform offers an open platform, pace, 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 Common 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 is just not catching up, however staying forward, he stated.
“Automation received’t be elective. It’s foundational,” Kumar asserted. “Automation empowers, doesn’t substitute, the workforce. Don’t construct across the robotic. Construct round the issue.”
Mixtures of AMRs and collaborative robots are already obtainable. Teradyne’s MC600 cellular manipulator not too long ago received an RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award.
Robots and automation may also help business now
Kumar listed 5 methods by which automation may also help business now:
- Begin with operate: Construct options round your duties.
- Harness know-how: Use mature, useful, well-integrated automation. Too many industries are caught in Trade 3.0.
- Embrace open ecosystem: Leverage platforms that speed up integration.
- Put money into flexibility: Select applications that evolve with you.
- Upskill the workforce: Practice individuals to collaborate with automation instruments.
Use a regular configurable platform for {hardware} and software program, Kumar recommended. Teradyne Robotics’ ustomers embody Analog Units, Matthews Worldwide, NVIDIA, and Siemens.
The UR+ ecosystem has greater than 300 companions, 500 functions, over 400 techniques integrators, and greater than 200 unique tools producers (OEMs) with 100,000 cobots shipped.
The MiR Go ecosystem for Cell Industrial Robots exceeds 60 companions, has greater than 150 functions, contains 50 techniques integrators, and 4 OEMs with 11,000 AMRs shipped.
“Our answer is to work with you and companions to develop the instruments that all of us want right this moment,” concluded Kumar.
Editor’s notice: This text was syndicated from The Robotic Report sibling web site Management Engineering.
Now accepting session submissions!
