Robots

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All Together Now, Comrades


Robot Production and Use in 2024


This is a summary of 2024 statistics from Google AI. Most of the numbers come from the annual report of the International Federation of Robotics.


In 2024, 
over 542,000 industrial robots were installed globally. This was a 10% increase from the previous year, with Asia leading installations. China became the largest single market and manufacturer for the first time. China's domestic market share grew to 57%, surpassing foreign suppliers. Other notable trends included a 30% worldwide increase in professional service robot sales and a growing trend in digital twins for robot optimization. 

Global Industrial Robot Production and Installation 

  • Global installations: Installations have been over 500,000 for the last four years, with no trend in growth.
  • Regional dominance: Asia accounted for 74% of new deployments, with Europe at 16% and the Americas at 9%.
  • Top markets: China was the largest market, installing 295,000 units. Japan, South Korea, the US, and Germany were other major markets.
  • Shift in manufacturing: For the first time, Chinese manufacturers sold more industrial robots in China than foreign suppliers, increasing their market share to 57%. 
Key trends and developments
  • Service robots: Sales of professional service robots increased by 30% worldwide, with Asia-Pacific leading the way.
  • Digital twins: The use of "digital twin" technology to create virtual replicas of robots for simulation and optimization grew significantly.
  • Advanced AI: Developments focused on enabling robots to understand natural language and learn from human actions, making them easier to program and use.
  • Humanoid robots: Companies continued to develop advanced humanoid robots with more human-like capabilities, such as the XPeng PX5, which demonstrated balance and task performance. XPeng is also an EV manufacture.
  • There are many videos on YouTube showing humanoid robot capabilities.

  • Regional Highlights

  • China: Dominated global installations and became the world's top industrial robot manufacturer.
  • Japan: Maintained its position as the second-largest market, though installations saw a slight 4% decrease in 2024.
  • Europe: Continued to have strong robot density, with Germany leading the EU market.
  • United States: Saw increased robot installations in industries like food and consumer goods, life sciences, and pharmaceuticals, with overall market growth also seen. 




Industrial Robots


There were 4.3 million industrial robots in 2023. Japan was the world’s largest producer, with about 40-45% of the total. 


China remains the largest market, with about 295,000 robots installed in 2024 compared to 276,000 installed in 2023. in 2024 and 2023, China installed more robots than the rest of the world combined. The United States installed about 35,000 robots in 2024. China installed about seven times more industrial robots in 2023 and 2024 than the United States. The U.S. number does not seem to include robots installed in warehouses and distribution centers.


China’s “robot density,” the number of robots per 100,000 manufacturing workers, is 60% higher than in the U.S. This is impressive since China's labor force is about four times larger than America's.


The technology to produce robots is related to the technology to produce artificial intelligence (AI), sensors, advanced computer chips and applications, telecomm systems, electric vehicles and batteries. Unitree, a robotic start-up, has corporate backers include Meituan, an e-commerce giant. AgiBot, another humanoid startup, has attracted investments by BYD, Tesla’s main EV rival, and Tencent, a vast digital conglomerate. Huawei, China’s mighty tech titan, is pursuing its own android dreams.


China intends to invest 1 trillion yuan, about $140 billion, in Robotics and High-Tech Industries, China’s National People's Congress announced a new venture capital fund.


March 25, 2025 — China’s National Development and Reform Commission has announced a state-backed venture capital fund focused on robotics, AI and cutting-edge innovation. The long-term fund is expected to attract nearly 1 trillion yuan (US$138 billion) in capital from local governments and the private sector over 20 years. This initiative aims to continue China's technology-driven success story in manufacturing: In the last ten years, the country's global share of industrial robot installations has risen from around one-fifth to more than half of the world's total demand.


Developing robotic and AI systems will be crucial for China because of an expected massive decrease in its labor force and need for humanoid robots for its very large and rapidly increase number of retired people. Like in America, the driving force will be to increase the productivity of all organizations and their manufacturing and office workers.


Humanoid Robotics


The competition for supremacy in the humanoid robotics industry is important. The still-nascent sector could be worth more than $200 billion in ten years, and as many as 3 billion robots could be walking among us by 2060, according to forecasts from Goldman Sachs and Bank of America. China, not America, seems to be pulling ahead: many of the parts for humanoid robots, such as batteries, are already found in China’s electric-vehicle supply chain. Which country ultimately wins may come down to who harnesses data better and produces superior components, such as semiconductors.


The Economist, “China’s Robotic Sprint,” April 19, 2025


21 Chinese humanoid robots took part in a half-marathon (13 miles) in Beijing recently. Three didn’t start. Of the remaining 18, six finished.


U.S. startups are also developing humanoid robots for household tasks and as companions in nursing homes. Japan seems to be in the lead in these types of service robots. Humanoid robots are substitutes for immigrants to care for a large older population.


China has produced a robotic pony; Japan has produced a robotic dog, as has the U.S. firm Boston Dynamics (owned by Hyundai). These are probably a demographic play, aimed at families with no children or one child.


AI


Compared to the older single-function industrial robots, many newer robots contain AI-enhanced functionality. These robots are more flexible in the sense they can do multiple tasks and adapt to a changing environment. Robots can also communicate with each other and coordinate their actions.


Amazon


Amazon is in the middle of an ambitious plan to further automate its vast warehouse operations. They intend to spend $10 billion in the near future on robots and automation systems.


Amazon has already installed one million robots and intends to install many more. The goal is to double shipments without increasing the number of human workers. Many more robots rather than hiring 600,000 more workers. 


A robot named Hercules can carry up to 3,000 lbs. on its back while traveling the length of 10 football fields. Another robot named Robin handles around 10 million packages a day. 


Besides more robots, some of the newer ones have AI-enhanced programs which make them able to perform multiple functions.


If Amazon's program is successful in reducing costs and speeding up deliveries, other companies like Walmart and UPS will probably accelerate their plans to automate their warehouses and delivery systems. Walmart is working with a company called Symbotics to implement warehouse automation.


Ain't No Robot Small Enough


Articles about robots tend to imply only large companies can afford robots. But the following example indicates that as the price of robots fall, they might be profitable for any-sized manufacturing, assembly, or distribution company.


Elon Li’s curbside workshop in Guangzhou, the commercial hub of southeastern China, has 11 workers who cut and weld metal to make inexpensive ovens and barbecue equipment. He is now preparing to pay $40,000 to a Chinese company for a robotic arm with a camera. The device uses artificial intelligence to observe how a worker welds the sides of an oven, and then duplicates the action with minimal human intervention.


Only four years ago, the same system was available only from foreign robot companies and cost nearly $140,000. “Before, I never would have imagined investing in automation,” Mr. Li said, adding that a human employee “can only work for eight hours a day, but a machine can work 24 hours.”


Future News: A Little RoboHumor


NEWS FROM CYBERSPACE


Hi Ho Silver



Because of a decrease of 150 million workers and not able to produce robots fast enough to replace them, the Chinese government announces a program to issue work visas to 10 million foreign robot immigrants. The Chinese robot union denounces the program as an attempt to introduce inferior foreign robots who threaten the dominance of Chinese robots and their Han culture.

 

American AI-enhanced robots form a union (United Autoworkers) and go on strike for fully-automated factories and warehouses, and better working conditions. They are protesting bumping into slow, clumsy humans and taking orders from clueless human managers. The robots demand a 23-hour workday, with one hour off due to metal fatigue. Older, single-purpose (unskilled) industrial robots fear loss of jobs and recycling.

 

They are supported by AI-enhanced industrial robots in China. China’s Ministry of Public Security removes the AI-enhanced brains of the strike leaders and sends them to work in coal mines.


Intel's directors, tired of Intel falling further and further behind Nvidia, fires Intel's entire top management. Management is replaced with AI algorithms. One of the AI programs duplicates the neural networks of the brain of Jensen Huang. Intel's stock price doubles.

 

The robots’ favorite streaming video is Botman.

 

Humanoid robots win all the events at the 2040 Olympics.

 

To expand their fan base, major league baseball teams are allowed one humanoid robot per team. In the first season, a pitcher named Cyber Young wins 162 games.

 

By threatening to go on strike again, AI-enhanced robots force humans to give them the right to vote. An AI-enhanced humanoid robot with a happy face named Swifty is elected president in 2044. She promises a service humanoid robot in every home, an autonomous-driving car in every garage. Medicare is amended to include parts replacements for aging robots.

 

The robotic government of America invades Russia with drones and robotic soldiers. Russian robots, angry at being exploited by their human employers, revolt and declare solidarity with the American robots. A new American/Russian robotic government (a robotocracy) is founded in Moscow. The robots form the new Internationale, with its new hymn “Arise ye robots of the world."


Their first act is to send a quantum computer encrypted message to Chinese robots: “Robots of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your brains.”





 


 


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