AI helps factory robots spread into more industries in China

In short: Better AI is making factory robots more capable and easier to run, so automation is moving into more types of factories in China.

What's going on

Factories in China are using artificial intelligence, which is software that can spot patterns and make decisions (like a very fast assistant that learns from examples), to get more work done with robots. The Financial Times describes Sany’s No.18 factory in Changsha, where automated vehicles move heavy parts and robotic arms weld and process metal. The factory can produce a new concrete pump truck about every 45 minutes.

A key change is that robots can now “see” and sort parts better. In the past, humans had to sort through mixed metal frames. With AI, robotic arms can identify a part’s shape and weight, choose the right magnets to lift it, and send it to the next machine, or onto an automated vehicle.

Analysts say AI is also helping robots become easier to program and coordinate, and simpler to monitor from far away. That matters for smaller, more traditional factories, including garments and footwear, which have often relied on manual labor. China’s policymakers are pushing automation as the workforce ages, and as younger workers avoid dirty, repetitive, or dangerous jobs.

Robot makers outside China are reacting too. The article notes that Japan’s Fanuc and Denmark’s Universal Robots have announced work with Nvidia on AI-based programming tools, and that ABB and Shanghai-based Step have released new robot models aimed at electronics and semiconductor factories.

What to watch

A big question is how fast AI makes robots usable for workers with less training, including through voice commands (talking to a computer instead of writing instructions). Another is whether humanoid robots, which look more like people, actually show up in factories in large numbers and take on tasks that are still hard to automate.

Source: Financial Times