Role of Robotics in Smart Manufacturing

Robots are highly anticipated to be part of the ever-developing smart manufacturing settings, as India is not stinting on the masks to enhance the existing manufacturing capability in addition to the adoption of emerging megatrends. Traditional robots have evolved to perform critical and complex time-saving tasks rather than just redundant and mundane jobs on the assembly line. System integrators, startups, and OEMs in Hyderabad are actively driving the application of robotics in manufacturing and defining the smart industrial environment in India.

Recently, the sales of industrial robots in India have gone high, and according to International Federation of Robotics (IFR) reports, the country is in the tenth position regarding the yearly installation of industrial robots. In the last five years, India’s industrial robots’ operational stock has been at an all-time high, owing largely to the growing automotive industry, followed by the general and electrical and electronics industries, respectively. Furthermore, as per Statista, a global data and business intelligence platform, the market for robotics in India is expected to reach a value of over US$ 531 million by 2024, with the service robotics segment occupying the largest share.

Telangana Empowers Robotics, Shaping the Future
Telangana, the first in the country, implemented the Robotics Framework to adopt robotics by the Government for multiple use-cases. According to the Framework, the state will enhance and cultivate its strategy, focusing on innovation, entrepreneurship, and advanced robotics research to establish itself as a global leader in robotics.

Backed by the strong presence of organizations like Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the state is uniquely positioned and is all set to promote the industry revolution. The Emerging Technologies Wing, ITE&C Department, Government of Telangana, in its pursuit of positioning the state as a pioneer in emerging technologies, has worked extensively to develop an apt ecosystem for AI, blockchain, cloud, cybersecurity, drones, e-waste, electronics, and robotics.

To promote robotics as well as for its easy availability and accessibility to startups, investors, and industries, the Telangana State Government along with All India Robotics Association (AIRA), has also recently launched ‘Har Vibhag Mein Robotics’, aiming to integrate robotics into every domain and sector. Under this initiative, the Government has pushed for ease of adoption and partnered with various stakeholders to establish robotics labs in rural areas and government schools.

AIRA and Telangana Government also came together to host the country’s first global robotics summit in Hyderabad, promoting advanced robotics and automation and attracting investors and scientists from 25+ countries. Furthering the case, the IT, E&C Department leverages information technology not just for effective and efficient governance, but also for future stable economic growth and inclusive social transformation through a gamut of initiatives under the aegis of Digital Telangana.

Hyderabad’s Homegrown Robotic Marvels Power Global Advancements
With a strong entrepreneurial zeal, Hyderabad has become a sectoral central activity hub for Telangana in high-tech industrial robotic systems and advancements. Another major push, the Robotics Research Center (RRC), which is a part of International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Hyderabad, is a lab that plans to carry out research problems and experimental projects that advance the state of the art in robotics. It has been publishing at top international conferences like IROS, AAMAS, ICRA, and IJCAI in a bid to try to push forward the robotics research frontiers in robotic vision, navigation, dynamics & control, UAV design & control, multi-robotic systems, AI, and learning.

Fortifying Hyderabad’s image and ‘Made In India’ initiative, some homegrown companies are making waves in the global market with a suite of new products and solutions.

Zen Technologies: Specializing in combat training and Counter-Drone solutions, the company has introduced AI-powered robots like Prahasta, a quadruped robot equipped with LiDAR for real-time 3D mapping and superior navigation. Their innovations also include the Hawkeye anti-drone system and the Barbarik-URCWS, a lightweight remote-controlled weapon station.
XMachines: A robotics and AI company, which manufactures AI-based robots for precision agriculture, autonomous mobile robots for automating material handling operations in manufacturing and warehouse facilities, rugged outdoor robots for managing solar power plants, and mobile robot platforms for robotics researchers. The company recently expanded into international markets and began exporting its products to Europe and other countries.
Grene Robotics: The company assists organizations and individuals to leverage drones, droids, or intelligent machines and offers systems that provide real-time information and autonomous decisions to improve organizations’ productivity and make the world more sustainable. Its AI platform, GreneOS, delivers services to autonomous organizations and recently expanded into the defence vertical after successfully adapting to the telecom, process management, and system domains.

HIMTEX 2024 - Where Robotics and Innovation Unite
As the modern world moves towards the fifth industrial revolution, humans are reconciled with machines, and human-machine coexistence is evident. Start-ups like Harvested Robotics (Agri-Tech), Perceptyne Robots (Deep-Tech Robotics), ROBOKALAM (Ed-Tech), Xairo Tech (Tech Enterprise), Makers Hive (Assistive-Tech), Buchuk (Auto Cooking Robot), and many more are catering to diverse sectors, shaping the next generation industrial technological landscape in and around Hyderabad.

With its progressive and conducive ecosystem, Telangana is even eyeing becoming India’s ‘AI capital’, which makes Hyderabad a melting pot of technological advancement. Amidst the surge of innovation, entrepreneurship, and research and development, Hyderabad is well positioned to champion the field of robotics and take the sector forward, envisioning India as a global leader in robotics by 2030.

In this backdrop, Hyderabad International Trade Expositions Ltd (HITEX) is hosting its flagship manufacturing show, Hyderabad International Machine Tool & Engineering Expo (HIMTEX), from August 16-19, 2024, at HITEX Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad. The show is slated to be one of the most effective platforms for industry stakeholders and patrons to harness the potentially unexplored avenues across a plethora of sectors. It showcases technological prowess through dialogues, demonstrations, strategic sessions, and workshops, offering excellent learning and hands-on experience to aspiring or seasoned professionals in a myriad of professional domains. The event is a perfect gathering for robot and technology enthusiasts, engineers, entrepreneurs, decision-makers, business owners, and interested individuals from varied sectors.

Do not forget to register for a seamless experience at the show: https://dev.sarcon.tech/e/484/microsite/2755