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Press Releases

Robot Installed in US Auto Industry Up by Double Digits

Preliminary results published by International Federation of Robotics

Frankfurt, May 08, 2025 — Automakers in the United States have invested in more automation: total installations of industrial robots in the car industry increased by 10.7%, reaching 13,700 units in 2024. These are preliminary results, presented by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

President’s Report by Takayuki Ito

Strong Start into the Year

Mar 27, 2025 — The year 2025 started with a whole bunch of activities for the IFR. In January, we published the top 5 trends in robotics from IFR's perspective and received quite a bit of press attention for this. This was followed by an update of the "World Robotics R&D Programs" that are kindly compiled by Prof. Jong-Oh Park and his team with a corresponding press release in February.

China to Invest 1 Trillion Yuan in Robotics and High-Tech Industries

China’s National People's Congress announced venture capital fund

Frankfurt, Mar 25, 2025 — China’s National Development and Reform Commission has announced to set up 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 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.

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Press Photos

Robot Programming

© FANUC

Robot programming with a cell creation simulation software.

Robot Programming

© FANUC

Robot programming with a cell creation simulation software.

Heavy Weight

© FANUC

FANUC robots are handling heavy material.

Education

© FANUC

A FANUC robot is building blocks - used for education.

Canteen Robot

© KUKA Group

KUKA KR Agilus serves rice dishes in a canteen to employees.

Handcraft Application

© KUKA Group

An articulated robot is sanding a piece of wood in a handcraft joinery.

Laboratory Work

© KUKA Group

A robot moving blood samples in a laboratory.

AI Application

© KUKA Group

AI helps the robot gripping parts out of a box.

Palletizing Liquor

© OnRobot

The Off-The-Shelf system automates the palletizing of 11 kg liquor boxes, easing worker strain and enabling fast, in-house redeployment for new product lines.

Electronics Device Packaging

© Hangzhou Robotphoenix Industrial Robotics

High-Speed Automated Pick-and-Place System for Mobile Phone Protective Glass completed with SCARA and Delta robot.

Food Industry Loading

© Hangzhou Robotphoenix Industrial Robotics

Robotphoenix’s high-speed Delta robots, combined with a precise vision system, ensure accurate picking and placement of egg tarts of various sizes.

Beauty Assembly

© Hangzhou Robotphoenix Industrial Robotics

A SCARA robot picking and placing eyeshadow palettes in the beauty industry, reduces human errors and product damage.

Container Unloading

© OnRobot

An Off-The-Shelf palletizing solution powered by OnRobot’s D:PLOY platform automates the manual unloading of battery containers.

Scara Robot Street

© Epson

Efficient, precise, and reliable – Epson SCARA robots optimize automation processes in the industry.

Solar Park

© Comau

Comau’s patented mobile factory grants better safety and sustainability by automatically installing solar trackers directly in the photovoltaic field

Educating Young People

© Comau

e.DO is a new way of learning and teaching STEM subjects, robotics and coding, a combination of an educational robot and innovative didactic tools.

Body in White

© ABB

Body in White (BiW) line with ABB robots performing spot welding tasks.

Quality control

© KUKA

Sensitive joint torque sensors in all six axes of the LBR iisy enable safe cooperation be-tween humans and robots.

Hospital logistics

© OPPENT

OPPENT EVO Cart mobile robots transporting materials in a hospital, driven by BlueBotics ANT® navigation technology.

Internal Logistic with forklift

© Stoecklin Logistick AG

Eagle-Ant 1 automated forklifts by Stoecklin Logistick AG in operation at a food production plant.

High Payload Transportation

© Stäubli

AGV with a high payload moves automatically 20 tons at once.

Internal Logistics with forklift

© Stäubli

The ultra-compact forklift AGV transports pallets and increases productivity at an automotive OEM.

Logistics

© Mech-Mind

The robot picks and places boxes on palettes.

Material Handling

© ABB

BlueBotics mini™ mobile robots in operation at ABB’s semiconductor manufacturing plant in Lenzburg, Switzerland.

Picking Cosmetics

© FANUC

FANUC robot picking in cosmetics industry by using vision systems.

Picking Cosmetics

© FANUC

FANUC robot picking in cosmetics industry by using vision systems.

Material Handling

© FANUC

Two FANUC LR Mate 200iD-7L robots handle parts between them.

Testing

© FANUC

A FANUC CR-7iA/L collaborative robot supports assembly staff with the testing of control panels.

Handling Ceramic

© FANUC

Handling of ceramic tableware by FANUC robots

Hospital Disinfection

© OMRON

UV Disinfection Robot moves around in a hospital

Assembly and Testing

© Staubli

Assembly and test of smartphones with a SCARA and a 6 axis robot from Stäubli.

Assembly

© Staubli

Assembly application of E-mountainbikes Cube with a TX2-140 robot from Stäubli.

Monitoring

© Staubli

Monitoring of the production with a Stäubli TS2-100 robot.

Programming

© Staubli

Programming of a Stäubli TS2-100 SCARA robot.

Internal Logistics

© Mobile Industrial Robots A/S

Autonomous mobile robots transport pallets from the depot to the warehouse, manned hightrucks take over.

Hygiene Logistics

© Mobile Industrial Robots A/S

KEN Hygiene has developed a fully automated sterile center using autonomous mobile robot that works as the logistical link.

Warehouse Logistics

© Mobile Industrial Robots A/S

Automous mobile robot transports finished products from assembly lines to the warehouse - optimization of internal logistics

Cobot Palletizing

© YASKAWA

Safe palletizing with Yaskawa collaborative robot

Deburring and Chamfering

© YASKAWA

Robot deburring cell with the Yaskawa handling robot deburring and chamfering all types of gearing components.

Car Measurement

© YASKAWA

Turn-key complete cell MANTIS with Yaskawa handling robot enables measurement of a car side door in a matter of minutes.

Collaborative Robot Programming

© Photoneo

Programming and working with a collaborative robot.

Robot Vision

© Photoneo

Adjustments on an industrial robot and the vision system

Robot getting Eyes

© Photoneo

Mechanic setting up the vision system on an industrial robot.

Aluminum Welding

© OTC Daihen

Robot twin system of two robots and a positioner - fully automated aluminum welding with high-speed welding process AC/MIG.

Aluminum Work

© HSD

The HSD electrospindles are used for robotic milling applications on aluminum frames.

Marble Work

© HSD

HSD electrospindles working even on rigid surfaces like marble.

Milling Application

© HSD

The HSD electrospindles are used for robotic milling applications

Total Freedom of Movement - 7 Axis

© Duerr

The robot with a seven axis reaches every spot in the car body. This can eliminate the need for a linear displacement rail.

Overspray-free Paint Application

© Duerr

EcoPaintJet is an innovative system for automated, highly defined paint application without any overspray.

Sealing Application

© Duerr

Robot EcoRS 30L16S with shortened arm 1 is particularly suitable for sealing applications inside car bodies.

Logistics

© OMRON

Automous mobile robots safely and efficiently transport different payloads in manufacturing and warehouse logistics operations.

Cobot Application

© OMRON

Collaborative robots can work side-by-side with humans in many applications, e.g. closing CNC machine.

Scara Production Line

© OMRON

Seamless integration of robots and machine control allows flexible manufacturing of fixed industrial robots

Assembly

© YASKAWA

YASKAWA robots assemble robots for automation of the factory

Digital Supply Chain

© KUKA

The body-in-white plant KUKA Toledo Production Operations set new milestone in terms of digital supply chain and Industrie 4.0.

Soft Hand Gripper

© qbrobotics srl

SoftHand grasping a trolley handle with ability changing the angle of the wrist

Food Packaging

© OnRobot

Heavy and monotone tasks can be taken from the employees with a collaborative robot and special gripper.

Laboratory

© OnRobot

The OnRobot RG6 gripper is changing tests quickly by simply clipping and unclipping at L'Oréal.

Primary Packaging

© OnRobot

Two sets of dual gripper stack plastic molded containers, making them ready for packaging.

Smart Production

© KUKA

Smart Production in a factory

Cobot mounted on AMR

© NEURA Robotics GmbH

LARA (Lightweight Agile robotic assistant) mounted on MAV (Multi-Sensing Autonomous vehicle) palletizing products

Wire Cutting

© FANUC

A FANUC Robot LR Mate 200iD is loading a WireCut EDM machine

Collaborative Robot

© ABB

YUMI is ABB's collaborative robot on the market

Electronics industry

© ABB

Robots at assembly line in the electronics industry

Automotive welding

© ABB

Robots welding car chassis in the automotive industry

Automotive welding

© ABB

Robots welding parts in the automotive industry

UR5 - A highly flexible robot arm

© Universal Robots

UR5 robots (payload 5kg) carry out machine tending on CNC machines

UR3 - ultra-flexible table-top robot

© Universal Robots

UR3 robots (payload 3kg) to screw drive the caps on consumer goods at MARKA.

Cheese Handling

© Staubli

Cutting and Handling of Cheese

Automotive

© Staubli

Automotives - Automation

Programming

© YASKAWA

Using the teach pendant for programming, or touch up of previously made offline programs.

Printing

© CoolGraphics/Yaskawa

MOTOMAN dual arm robot in a co‐worker robot cell separates, airs and moves stacks of printed paper sheets.

Labrobot

© YASKAWA

The MOTOMAN dual arm robot in a biomedical cell where it performs all the necessary tasks in a laboratory environment.

Cleanfix

© BlueBotics 2017

Cleanfix - RA 660 - ANT driven cleaning a floor

ANT driven AGV

© BlueBotics 2017

AGV Scandinavia - ANT driven forklift

Press Contact IFR

All press requests are handled by our press officer.

Carsten Heer

IFR Press Inquiries


Phone: +49 40-822 44 284
E-Mail: press(at)ifr.org

Dr. Susanne Bieller

IFR General Secretary

E-Mail: secretariat(at)ifr.org