"Made in China 2025" stands at a new historical height, starting from a strategic overall perspective, and clearly proposes the action plan for the first decade of implementing the manufacturing power strategy in our country. It emphasizes "high-end CNC machine tools and robots" as one of the key areas to be vigorously promoted. The development of the robot industry should focus on the demand for industrial robots in applications such as automotive, machinery, electronics, hazardous materials manufacturing, national defense and military industry, chemical industry, light industry, as well as service robots in medical health, household services, education, and entertainment. It aims to actively develop new products, promote the standardization and modularization of robots, and expand market applications. It seeks to break through technical bottlenecks in key components such as robot bodies, reducers, servo motors, controllers, sensors, and system integration design and manufacturing technologies. The technology innovation roadmap for key areas clearly identifies two main directions for the development of the robot industry in our country over the next decade: first, to develop a series of products for industrial robot bodies and key components, promote the industrialization and application of industrial robots to meet the urgent needs of our manufacturing industry's transformation and upgrading; second, to break through key technologies for intelligent robots and develop a batch of intelligent robots to actively respond to the challenges of a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation.

1. Demand-oriented approach to enhance innovation capabilities and expand market applications.

According to different application environments, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) classifies robots into two categories: industrial robots used in manufacturing environments and service robots used in non-manufacturing environments. Industrial robots are a general term for robots used in industrial production and are important factory automation equipment in modern manufacturing; service robots are non-productive robots that serve humans. Service robot technology is mainly applied in unstructured environments that are relatively complex. They can obtain information about external environments through their own sensors and communication to make decisions and complete corresponding tasks.

1. China has become the world's largest industrial robot market, with potential still waiting to be tapped.

Industrial robots mainly refer to multi-joint mechanical arms or multi-degree-of-freedom robots aimed at the industrial field, used for handling, welding, assembly, processing, painting, cleaning production processes, etc. In 2014, global industrial robot sales reached a historic high of 225,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 27%. The driving force behind market growth mainly comes from Asia, especially China and South Korea.

In recent years, China's demand for robots has grown rapidly and has become an important global market for robots. In 2014, China's industrial robot sales reached 56,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 52%, once again making it the world's largest industrial robot market. Users have shifted from foreign-funded enterprises and Sino-foreign joint ventures to domestic enterprises and even small and medium-sized enterprises. Many companies in China's coastal industrial developed areas export their products with high quality requirements; more companies are using robots to replace manual workers. In the Pearl River Delta region, the annual growth rate of industrial robot usage has reached 30%, especially in fields such as assembly, dispensing, handling, and welding where there has been a surge in robot usage.

Although China has been the world's largest market for industrial robots since 2013, the density of industrial robots in manufacturing is still very low. In 2013, China's density of industrial robots was only 30 units per 10,000 industrial workers—less than half of the global average—and significantly lower compared to countries with higher levels of industrial automation like South Korea (437 units per 10,000 workers), Japan (323 units per 10,000 workers), and Germany (282 units per 10,000 workers). The domestic industrial robot market still has enormous potential.

As a major manufacturing country, China has always lagged behind in the application of industrial robots. Except for the automotive industry, general manufacturing with large volume is basically in a spontaneous, decentralized or scattered state regarding robot application. With the development of factory automation in our country, industrial robots will also be rapidly promoted in other industries such as electronics, metal products, rubber plastics, food processing, building materials, civil explosives, aviation, and medical equipment.

The degree of application of industrial robots is an important indicator of a country's level of industrial automation. The development of industrial robots in our country should focus on accelerating the demand for intelligent manufacturing development while coordinating both supply and demand sides for robots. On one hand it should enhance innovation capabilities among domestic robot manufacturers to promote standardization, modularization and systematic development while reducing usage costs and improving integration application levels to expand market applications; on the other hand it should actively carry out pilot applications for self-owned brand robots by focusing on typical application demonstration projects that have outstanding effects and strong driving forces to promote using industrial robots to transform traditional manufacturing.

2. Our service robot industry should be demand-oriented with focused development.

Service robots include specialized service robots and household service robots. The application range of service robots is broad; they mainly engage in maintenance services such as repair work transportation cleaning security rescue monitoring as well as medical care elderly care rehabilitation assistance etc. Service robots are a new type of intelligent equipment—a strategic high-tech product that has greater market space than industrial robots in the future.

In recent five years global service robotics has shown rapid growth trends. According to statistics from IFR in 2013 global sales volumes for professional service robots reached 21 thousand units while personal/household service robot sales reached four million units with respective market values at $3.57 billion and $1.7 billion showing year-on-year growth rates at four percent and twenty-eight percent respectively. In coming years global service robotics markets will continue rapid growth due to significant breakthroughs achieved by cloud robotics technology through mutual learning & knowledge sharing while small household assistive robotic devices will drastically reduce production costs forming an emerging market worth at least $41.6 billion before 2020; on another hand although assistive devices for disabled individuals have started slowly they are expected to experience rapid growth over next twenty years.

Currently international research & development on service robotics is mainly led by five countries: USA Japan China Germany South Korea. The development of our country's service robotics lags behind that of industrial robotics compared with countries like Japan USA etc., we started relatively late in R&D within this field while absolute gaps with developed countries remain significant but compared with industrial robotics domestic & international gaps are smaller. Service robotics generally need to be developed based on specific demand markets; local enterprises can more easily integrate specific environments & cultures into their developments thus occupying favorable market positions maintaining certain competitive advantages; on another hand foreign service robotics also belong to emerging industries most companies were established relatively recently hence our service robotics industry faces considerable opportunities & development space.

From a developmental trend perspective our professional service robotics are expected to achieve commercialization ahead of personal/household robotics especially medical robotics hazardous special environment inspection exploration robotics etc. As our country enters an aging society demands for medical care nursing rehabilitation will increase simultaneously due to people's pursuit for quality living standards personal/household robotics will have broader market space in future.

2. Break through technical bottlenecks to enhance industrialization capabilities.

Robots integrate modern manufacturing technology new material technology & information control technology representing intelligent manufacturing their R&D manufacturing & application have become important indicators measuring a country's technological innovation & manufacturing level attracting high attention from world manufacturing powers.

The development of China's robot industry can be traced back to the 1980s when the Ministry of Science & Technology included industrial robotics into its scientific research program led by former Ministry of Machinery Industry organizing research efforts on spot welding arc welding painting handling etc., other ministries also actively supported project establishment forming China's first wave peak in industrial robotics afterward mainly due to market demand reasons autonomous R&D & commercialization experienced long stagnation after 2010 China's installed capacity for robotics increased year by year beginning towards full industry chain development.

The development of the robotics industry includes R&D testing, the industrialization of robot bodies and components, system integration technology, services, etc. Each link is very important. The development of China's robotics industry chain is a long and arduous process. Overall, most of China's robot companies are concentrated in the integration field, with processing and assembly companies accounting for the majority. In terms of original research on core and key technologies, high-reliability basic functional components, system process application solutions, and mass production of mainframes, there is still a considerable gap compared to developed countries. In terms of key components, precision reducers, servo motors, and drivers rely heavily on imports. Although the country has made significant investments in this area over the years, due to the original market scale and low level of industrialization, it is insufficient to drive the development of core components, resulting in unsatisfactory outcomes.

It can be seen that the insufficient strength of China's robotics technology restricts the scale of industrialization, while the small scale in turn restricts technological development, all of which affect the process of robot industrialization. To enhance the market competitiveness of domestic robots, on one hand, it is necessary to expand the production capacity of domestic robots and increase the capacity of domestic robot companies; on the other hand, it is essential to promote the localization of key components for domestic robots and improve the production capacity of these key components to meet the needs for expanding domestic robot production.

In recent years, the country has placed great emphasis on intelligent manufacturing and robotics. Multiple departments such as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, National Development and Reform Commission, and Ministry of Science and Technology are actively promoting the development of the robotics industry from various aspects including top-level design, fiscal and financial policies, demonstration applications, and talent cultivation. Support policies are becoming increasingly comprehensive and detailed. The roadmap for China's robotics industry and related work for the '13th Five-Year Plan' are also steadily advancing. This will greatly facilitate Chinese robotics companies in breaking through technological bottlenecks and enhancing their industrialization capabilities.

Currently, for China's robotics industry, it is no longer a question of whether to pay attention to it or not; rather, it is about how to view this industry and how to cultivate and develop it in an orderly manner. Regarding various issues such as market demand for the robotics industry, technological innovation models, funding support methods, etc., local governments are expected to refine their support policies for this industry.

Accelerate the R&D and production of next-generation robots to seize the next high ground in robot technology and industrial development.

With the development of robotics technology, robots are classified into general robots and intelligent robots based on their functions. General robots refer to those that only have basic programming capabilities and operational functions; most robots produced in China currently belong to this category. Intelligent robots do not have a unified definition; most experts believe that intelligent robots must at least possess several major functional characteristics: first, adaptability to uncertain operating conditions; second, flexible operation capabilities with complex objects; third, ability to closely coordinate and cooperate with humans; fourth, ability for natural interaction with humans; fifth, safety features for human-robot collaboration. Whether modern industrial robots or service robots, they will ultimately evolve into intelligent robots with learning capabilities. We generally refer to intelligent robots as next-generation robots. With continuous advancements in technologies such as 3D visual perception/cognition and force sensors, along with deep integration with new generation information technologies like industrial internet, cloud computing, and big data, the intelligence level of next-generation robots will further increase. Their ability to perceive external environments will be enhanced further so they can complete dynamic and complex operational missions, achieve multi-machine collaboration, and work alongside humans.

To further seize international markets and enhance competitiveness in global manufacturing industries, various economic powers are eager to formulate development plans aimed at gaining an advantage in advanced robotics technology development. Currently, the German government is implementing an 'Industry 4.0' strategy to build 'smart factories' and create 'intelligent production,' with one key topic being interaction cooperation between humans and machines as well as between machines themselves. In 2013, the United States proposed a 'U.S. Robotics Development Roadmap,' focusing on overcoming key technologies such as strong adaptability in manufacturing robotics and reconfigurable assembly systems, humanoid dexterous manipulation, model-based integration design for supply chains, autonomous navigation in unstructured environments, education training for robotics safety when working alongside humans. At the beginning of 2015, Japan's government announced a 'New Robot Strategy,' clearly stating in its five-year action plan that it aims to research technologies such as data terminalization, networking, cloud computing for next-generation robots. In recent years, South Korea's government has released multiple policies aimed at supporting R&D and application of third-generation intelligent robots; its 'Robot Future Strategy Network 2022' announced in 2012 focuses on supporting South Korean companies entering international markets to seize opportunities in intelligent robot industrialization. With strong promotion from technological powers like the U.S., Japan, and Europe over the past five years, prototypes of next-generation robots have continuously emerged along with demonstration applications and practical systems.

From China's current perspective, the demand market for next-generation industrial robots has not yet fully matured; however, there is an urgent need for strategic common technology R&D and reserves. Currently developing next-generation robot industries in China should first focus on solidifying the technological foundation of the robotics industry by promoting the industrialization process of existing robots while accelerating the promotion and application of domestic brand robots in domestic markets. It is essential to explore new models for technology R&D by encouraging research institutions and enterprises to leverage their respective advantages while establishing national-level platforms for cutting-edge common technology R&D and reserves for next-generation industrial robots from China's national conditions and needs. This will help break through core technologies for next-generation robots while developing prototype systems/products for next-generation robots and advancing their industrialization process to seize international high ground in next-generation robotics. For robotic products applied in different fields, different development strategies should be implemented: on one hand focusing on enterprises as core entities supported by common technology platforms prioritizing next-generation industrial robot development while promoting supply-demand matching; on the other hand focusing on market orientation by grasping domestic demand characteristics while developing service robots for medical care or elderly assistance as well as special-purpose robots operating under unique service environments.