Interpretation of “Made in China 2025”: Promoting the Development of Robotics

　　“Made in China 2025” stands at a new historical height, adopting a strategic, holistic perspective to articulate the first‑decade action plan for implementing China’s strategy of becoming a manufacturing powerhouse. It identifies “high‑end CNC machine tools and robots” as one of the key priority areas for vigorous advancement, stipulating that the development of the robotics industry should: “focus on the needs of industrial robot applications in sectors such as automotive, machinery, electronics, hazardous‑materials manufacturing, national defense and military industries, chemicals, and light industry, as well as service‑robot applications in healthcare, home services, education, and entertainment; actively develop new products; promote the standardization and modularization of robotics technologies; and expand market adoption. At the same time, it calls for breaking through technological bottlenecks in core components—including robot bodies, reducers, servo motors, controllers, sensors, and drives—as well as in system integration design and manufacturing.” Furthermore, the roadmap for technological innovation in key areas specifies that, over the next decade, China’s robotics industry will prioritize two main directions: first, developing a series of standardized industrial robot platforms and critical components to accelerate the industrialization and deployment of industrial robots, thereby meeting the urgent demands of China’s manufacturing transformation and upgrading; second, achieving breakthroughs in key intelligent‑robot technologies and launching a portfolio of advanced intelligent robots to proactively address the challenges posed by the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation.

　　I. Be demand-driven, strengthen innovation capabilities, and expand market applications.

　　Depending on the application environment, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) categorizes robots into two main types: industrial robots for manufacturing settings and service robots for non‑manufacturing environments. Industrial robots refer to all robots used in industrial production and constitute key factory automation equipment in modern manufacturing. Service robots, by contrast, are non‑productive robots designed to assist humans; their technologies are primarily deployed in unstructured, complex environments, enabling them to acquire information about their surroundings via onboard sensors and communication systems, make decisions, and perform relevant tasks.

　　1. China has become the world’s largest industrial robot market, yet its full potential remains untapped.

　　Industrial robots primarily refer to multi-joint manipulators or multi-degree-of-freedom robots designed for industrial applications, used in tasks such as material handling, welding, assembly, machining, painting, and clean‑room production. In 2014, global sales of industrial robots reached a record high of 225,000 units, up 27% year over year. The primary driver of this market growth was the Asian region, particularly China and South Korea.

　　In recent years, China’s robotics market has grown rapidly and has become a key global market. In 2014, industrial robot sales in China reached 56,000 units, up 52% year on year, once again making China the world’s largest industrial robot market. The customer base has shifted from predominantly wholly foreign‑owned and Sino‑foreign joint ventures to domestic enterprises, including small and medium‑sized firms. In many coastal regions with advanced manufacturing, numerous companies produce goods for export and face stringent quality requirements, leading an increasing number of them to adopt robots in place of human workers. In the Pearl River Delta, the annual growth rate of industrial robot adoption has averaged 30%, particularly in areas such as assembly, dispensing, material handling, and welding, sparking a widespread boom in robotic automation.

　　Although China has been the world’s largest market for industrial robots since 2013, its manufacturing sector still exhibits a very low level of robot density. In 2013, China’s industrial robot density stood at just 30 units per 10,000 industrial workers—less than half the global average—and lagged far behind countries with higher degrees of industrial automation, such as South Korea (437 units per 10,000 workers), Japan (323 units per 10,000 workers), and Germany (282 units per 10,000 workers). The domestic industrial robot market therefore continues to hold substantial growth potential.

　　As a major manufacturing country, China has long lagged behind in the application of industrial robots. With the exception of the automotive sector, the broad and diverse general manufacturing industries have largely adopted robotics in an ad hoc, fragmented, or sporadic manner. As factory automation continues to advance in China, industrial robots are poised for rapid deployment across other sectors, including electronics, metal products, rubber and plastics, food processing, building materials, explosives, aerospace, and medical equipment.

　　The extent of industrial robot adoption is a key indicator of a country’s level of industrial automation. To advance China’s industrial robotics sector, efforts should be aligned with the national drive to accelerate smart manufacturing, fostering collaboration between supply and demand. On one hand, this entails bolstering the innovation capacity of domestic robot manufacturers, promoting standardization, modularity, and system‑level integration, reducing operational costs, and elevating the sophistication of integrated applications, thereby expanding the scope of market deployment. On the other hand, it calls for actively piloting domestically branded robots, implementing a series of high‑impact, highly leveraged, and closely interconnected demonstration projects, and using these exemplary initiatives to catalyze broader adoption of industrial robots in upgrading and transforming traditional manufacturing.

　　2. China’s service robot industry should be demand-driven and pursue development in a targeted manner.

　　Service robots encompass both specialized and household types, with a broad range of applications. They are primarily engaged in tasks such as maintenance, repair, transportation, cleaning, security, rescue, caregiving, as well as medical care, elderly support, rehabilitation, and assistance for people with disabilities. As a new class of intelligent equipment and a strategic high‑tech product, service robots hold greater market potential than industrial robots in the years to come.

　　Global service robots have exhibited rapid growth over the past five years. According to statistics from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), in 2013, global sales of professional service robots and personal/household service robots reached 21,000 units and 4 million units, respectively, with market values of US$3.57 billion and US$1.7 billion—up 4% and 28% year over year, respectively. In the coming years, the global service robot market is expected to continue expanding at a brisk pace. With significant advances in cloud‑based robotics that enable mutual learning and knowledge sharing, and with substantial reductions in production costs for small, home‑assistance robots, an emerging market worth at least US$41.6 billion could take shape by 2020. Meanwhile, although disability‑assistance robots are currently developing more slowly, they are projected to experience rapid growth over the next two decades.

　　At present, research and development of service robots worldwide is primarily led by five countries: the United States, Japan, China, Germany, and South Korea. Compared with industrial robots, China’s service‑robot sector lags behind; in terms of R&D in this field, China started later than Japan, the United States, and other advanced economies, and the absolute gap remains substantial. However, relative to industrial robotics, the domestic–international gap is comparatively narrower. Service robots are typically developed to meet specific market needs, and local firms are better positioned to tailor their offerings to particular environments and cultural contexts, securing favorable market niches and maintaining a competitive edge. Meanwhile, foreign service‑robot companies also operate in an emerging industry, with most having been established only recently. As a result, China’s service‑robot industry enjoys significant opportunities and considerable room for growth.

　　From a developmental perspective, China’s professional service robots are expected to achieve industrialization ahead of personal and household robots, particularly in areas such as medical robotics and inspection and exploration robots for hazardous or specialized environments. As China enters an aging society, demand for medical care, nursing, and rehabilitation is rising; meanwhile, growing consumer aspirations for higher quality of life will further expand the market potential for personal and household robots in the years to come.

　　II. Overcoming Technological Bottlenecks and Enhancing Industrialization Capabilities

　　Robots integrate modern manufacturing technologies, advanced materials, and information‑control systems, making them a hallmark of intelligent manufacturing. Their research, development, production, and application have become key indicators of a nation’s scientific and technological innovation and manufacturing prowess, drawing intense attention from the world’s leading manufacturing powers.

　　The development of China’s robotics industry can be traced back to the 1980s, when the Ministry of Science and Technology included industrial robots in its key scientific and technological research program. The former Ministry of Machinery Industry took the lead in organizing efforts to develop industrial robot models for spot welding, arc welding, painting, and material handling, while other ministries also actively approved related projects, marking the first wave of rapid growth in China’s industrial robotics sector. Subsequently, largely driven by market demand, domestic R&D and industrialization of robots experienced a prolonged period of stagnation. Since 2010, China’s installed base of industrial robots has grown steadily year after year, signaling a shift toward comprehensive development across the entire robotics value chain.

　　The development of the robotics industry encompasses R&D and testing, the industrialization of robot hardware and components, system integration technologies, and service provision—each link is critical. Building China’s robotics value chain is a long and arduous journey. Overall, most Chinese robotics firms currently focus on system integration, with processing and assembly companies accounting for the majority. In areas such as original research on core and key technologies, highly reliable foundational components, system‑level process‑application solutions, and mass production of complete robots, China still lags considerably behind developed countries. With respect to critical components, precision reducers, servo motors, and drives remain heavily reliant on imports. Despite substantial government investment over the years, the relatively small market scale and low level of industrialization have failed to provide sufficient impetus for advancing core component technologies, resulting in less than satisfactory outcomes.

　　Thus, it is evident that China’s insufficient robotic technology capabilities constrain the scale of industrialization, while the relatively small scale, in turn, hinders technological advancement—both factors impede the progress of robot industry development. To enhance the market competitiveness of domestically produced robots, on the one hand, it is necessary to expand domestic robot production and increase the capacity of Chinese robotics firms; on the other hand, efforts must be made to localize key components, bolstering domestic manufacturing capabilities to meet the demands of expanding domestic robot production capacity.

　　Over the past two years, the Chinese government has placed great emphasis on intelligent manufacturing and robotics. Ministries including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Science and Technology have been vigorously promoting the development of the robotics industry, advancing the growth of domestically branded robotic systems through top-level design, fiscal and financial incentives, demonstration projects, and talent cultivation, with support policies becoming increasingly comprehensive and detailed. Work on China’s robotics industry roadmap and the “13th Five-Year Plan” for the sector is also progressing steadily. These efforts will significantly help Chinese robotics companies overcome technological bottlenecks and enhance their industrialization capabilities.

　　At present, for China’s robotics industry, the question is no longer whether to prioritize it or not; rather, it is how to view the sector and what mindset to adopt in nurturing and fostering its orderly development. With regard to market demand, innovation models, funding mechanisms, and other key aspects, local governments are expected to refine their support policies for the industry.

　　III. Accelerate the research, development, and production of next-generation robots to seize the next strategic high ground in robotics technology and industrial development.

　　With the advancement of robotics, robots are further classified into general-purpose robots and intelligent robots based on their functions. General-purpose robots possess only basic programming capabilities and operational functions; currently, most robots manufactured in China fall into this category. As for intelligent robots, there is no universally accepted definition, but most experts agree that they should at least exhibit the following key functional characteristics: first, adaptability to uncertain operating conditions; second, flexible manipulation of complex objects; third, close coordination and collaboration with humans; fourth, natural human–robot interaction; and fifth, safety features that ensure secure human–robot cooperation. Whether industrial or service robots, they will ultimately evolve into smart robots endowed with learning capabilities. We often refer to such intelligent robots as next-generation robots. Driven by continuous advances in technologies like 3D visual perception and cognition, force‑sensing sensors, and their deep integration with next‑generation information technologies—including the Industrial Internet, cloud computing, and big data—the intelligence of next‑generation robots will continue to rise, their environmental perception will be significantly enhanced, enabling them to undertake dynamic, complex tasks, achieve multi‑robot collaboration, and work seamlessly alongside humans.

　　To further capture international markets and enhance the global competitiveness of their manufacturing sectors, major economies are eager to take the lead, each formulating development strategies aimed at seizing the initiative in advancing cutting-edge robotics technologies. At present, the German government is implementing its “Industry 4.0” strategy, building “smart factories” and enabling “intelligent production,” with one of its key priorities being the collaborative interaction between humans and machines, as well as between machines themselves. In 2013, the United States unveiled its “U.S. Robotics Roadmap,” focusing on critical technologies such as highly adaptive and reconfigurable robotic assembly, human‑like dexterous manipulation, model‑based integration and supply‑chain design, autonomous navigation, perception in unstructured environments, educational training, and the intrinsic safety of human–robot collaboration. In early 2015, the Japanese government released the “New Robot Strategy for Japan,” and in its five‑year action plan explicitly called for research and development of next‑generation robotic technologies—including data terminalization, networking, and cloud computing. Meanwhile, the South Korean government has introduced a series of policies in recent years to foster the R&D and deployment of third‑generation intelligent robots; in 2012, it published the “Robotics Future Strategy Vision 2022,” with a policy emphasis on supporting Korean companies’ entry into international markets and securing a leading position in the commercialization of intelligent robotics. Driven by the vigorous efforts of technologically advanced nations such as the United States, Japan, and Europe, over the past five years, prototypes, demonstration applications, and even practical systems of next‑generation robots have continued to emerge.

　　At present in China, the market demand for next-generation industrial robots has not yet fully matured; however, research and development of foundational, cross‑cutting technologies—of strategic importance—are urgently needed. To advance the next‑generation robotics industry, China should first strengthen the technological underpinning of the sector, accelerate the industrialization of existing robotic systems, and expedite the adoption and deployment of domestically branded robots in the domestic market. It should also explore new R&D models, encouraging research institutes and enterprises to leverage their respective strengths, and establish multi‑stakeholder national platforms for cutting‑edge, common‑technology R&D and capability building in next‑generation industrial robotics. Grounded in China’s national conditions and specific needs, these efforts should aim to break through core technologies, develop prototype systems and commercial products, and drive industrialization, thereby securing a leading position in the international arena for next‑generation robotics. For robotic applications across different sectors, distinct development strategies should be pursued: on the one hand, centering on enterprises and supported by common‑technology platforms, prioritize the advancement of next‑generation industrial robots, foster close alignment between supply and demand, and seize the initiative in this emerging field; on the other hand, adopt a market‑oriented approach, attuned to domestic demand characteristics, to develop service robots for healthcare, elderly care, and assistance for persons with disabilities, as well as specialized robots designed for operation in demanding or hazardous environments.