Advanced robotics technology, especially the rapidly developing humanoid robots, heralds that automation is about to enter a new stage of development. Bosch is deeply involved in this industrial transformation and accelerating the layout of key automation and robotics technologies. Dr. Stefan Hartung, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bosch Group, said at the Bosch Connected World (BCW) held in Berlin: “Core technologies such as sophisticated sensor technology, software, and efficient electric drives not only support the development of autonomous driving, but also form an important cornerstone of modern robotics technology.” Bosch responds quickly to the growing market demand for automation and robotics technology, and has become a favored business partner and core component supplier around the world.
Dr. Hartong added: “The rapid rise of the humanoid robot industry is driving the continued increase in demand for Bosch parts and system solutions.” With its comprehensive technical strength, Bosch is ready to actively seize the opportunities brought by the development of the robot market. Bosch expects to expand its business to billions of euros in this field and will accelerate the realization of this goal through synergies. Dr. Hartung said: “We are deeply integrating mature technologies in different business fields with cutting-edge innovation to comprehensively promote the large-scale industrial application of robotics technology and gradually expand into the field of humanoid robots.”
Dr. Tanja Rueckert, member of the Board of Directors and Chief Digital Officer of Bosch Group, said: “Bosch is driving the future with wheels and robotic arms.” Relying on cross-domain automation expertise covering automobiles, manufacturing and home scenarios, Bosch is transforming this unique advantage into a core competitiveness in developing the automation and robotics market. Bosch is not positioned as a complete manufacturer of humanoid robots, but as a technology supplier and partner, providing leading “intelligent brain” and “nervous system” technologies for modern automation and robots. As the core carrier of this strategy, Bosch’s open ctrlX AUTOMATION platform completely reconstructs the implementation logic of robotics technology. “This platform makes robotics technology more modular, faster to integrate, and easier to apply. For example, we have helped customers combine driverless transportation systems with high-precision robotic arms, allowing them to stably and flexibly take over various tasks in existing production processes,” said Dr. Tanja Rueckert. Currently, Bosch Rexroth is continuing to promote related cooperation projects with multiple customers in this field.
Whether in a factory or at home, if a robot wants to interact safely and accurately with its surrounding environment, it must have keen tactile perception capabilities. The core of giving robots this tactile perception ability is a small but indispensable technology – microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS sensors. It is the key to the robot’s ability to accurately pick up objects and respond sensitively to physical contact. It is precisely by relying on these sensors that the robot can accurately adjust its grip strength according to the characteristics of different objects – not only can it hold a sturdy water glass firmly, but it can also easily handle a fragile goblet. Bosch is the global market leader in the key technology field of MEMS sensors. Dr. Stefan Hartung, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bosch Group, said: “The human body has 4 million tactile sensors. If we want to create a robot with the same number of sensors, the total global sensor output in four years will only be enough to produce 12,500 units.” This data intuitively shows the huge development potential of the automation and robotics industry in the future, and also reflects the role that Bosch can play in it. According to market research and strategic consulting firm Yole Group, the MEMS sensor market, in which Bosch leads, is expected to exceed US$19.2 billion by 2030, with an average annual growth rate of 4%.
In order to accelerate technological development in the fields of automation and robotics, Bosch is adopting a development model that combines targeted internal innovation and open ecological cooperation. To this end, Bosch has established Robert Bosch Robotics GmbH to focus on the development and commercialization of new robotic solutions. At the same time, Bosch continues to promote the large-scale implementation of technology by deepening strategic partnerships. For example, Bosch is working with Neura Robotics to jointly develop cognitive robotics technology. Relying on its profound manufacturing experience, Bosch has also become a key partner of many head robot start-ups around the world, including the British Humanoid Robotics Company and a number of Chinese and American partners, helping major companies transform technology prototypes into mass-produced products. It is worth mentioning that the Bosch China Robot Center (BROC), established at the beginning of this year, has become an important platform for Bosch’s robotics ecological cooperation in China, coordinating cooperation with local partners and promoting the innovation of embodied intelligence technology and the commercial application of robotic solutions.
In addition to the “intelligent” field of robots, Bosch’s core advantages are also reflected in the key components that give robots excellent physical performance. Bosch Rexroth has a complete product portfolio of key components in the field of modern robots and factory automation, including high-precision motors and high-performance servo drives that ensure precise movement of robots, as well as the ctrlX AUTOMATION platform that can intelligently control robots according to different environments and needs. At the same time, Bosch also provides complex components and subsystems to provide the required power, speed and precision for robots. These core components form the technical cornerstone of various automation tasks. In addition, Bosch can provide factory equipment support for robotic manufacturing, such as conveyor systems from Rexroth.
Building industry-unique data assets based on more than 230 factories around the world. Artificial intelligence is the core capability that drives the iterative upgrade of automation and robotics technology. Tanja Rueckert, member of the board of directors and chief digital officer of Bosch Group, said: “The integration of cutting-edge electronics, mechanical technology and artificial intelligence is expected to bring major technological breakthroughs to the fields of automation and robotics. Artificial intelligence can allow robots to perceive the environment, understand the work process, and continue to learn autonomously during actual operations.” Bosch has deeply integrated artificial intelligence into its corporate strategy and implemented it in two major directions: first, integrating cloud AI The model is directly deployed into physical products to realize equipment automation; secondly, artificial intelligence is fully used in its own production system to optimize the production process, carry out predictive maintenance, and complete optical defect detection and other tasks.
Supporting these learning AI systems are massive data resources from more than 230 Bosch factories around the world. These data resources have irreplaceable advantages in the industry. Rueckert said: “Our core competitiveness lies not only in hardware equipment, but also in the data accumulated by the global production network. This data is the key to our development of future intelligent automation solutions.” In addition, in order to convert human experience into machine-understandable data, Bosch also uses specialized data collection suits to record complex action trajectories for robot training. Currently, Bosch is applying this technology and experience in a cooperative project with Neura Robotics to accelerate the development of cognitive robots.
In the field of artificial intelligence, the “Bosch Technical Guide” survey released by Bosch covered more than 11,000 respondents in 7 countries around the world. The results show that most respondents believe that artificial intelligence will become the most influential technology with the most positive development prospects in the future. The survey also found that public acceptance and enthusiasm for artificial intelligence continues to grow globally, with 70% of respondents believing this technology is crucial to future development.
