Robotics startups – diverse support for the industry
As part of our series of articles on startup industries, we would like to turn our attention today to the field of robotil startups. A rethink has taken place in this area, particularly in recent years. We provide insights into the development of the robotics industry in recent years, present currently relevant trends and technologies, as well as case studies of successful robotics startups and their innovative ideas. Afterwards, we report on the cooperation example of the startup Sevensense Robotics and Deutsche Bahn, and also give a small outlook on the future and potentials of the robotics industry.
Unlike various buzz words common in the startup world, the name in this case is already self-explanatory. Accordingly, a robotics startup is a startup that works with innovative technologies in the robotics sector. This is a fairly young industry. After all, just a few years ago, robot development was predominantly the domain of large, market-leading companies, especially in the industrial sector. But the ever-advancing digitalization is also affecting the robotics sector. Young companies have now also been able to establish themselves here with their smart solutions. The five largest robotics markets in the world offer optimal opportunities for this: China, Japan, South Korea followed by the USA and Germany. The solutions of the robotics startups can offer added value in various areas. However, they are used particularly successfully in the automotive industry, the electronics industry and the metal industry.
The development of the robotics industry
Within the last few years, the robotics industry has undergone a strong development. Whereas robots were once considered very expensive and had limited capabilities, they are now cost-effective and flexible for use almost anywhere. This is also reflected in the markets: according to the IFR (International Federation of Robotics), sales of robots have doubled in the last five years. For example, annual sales increased 114% between 2013 and 2017. While China has the strongest demand and the highest sales volume, Europe achieves the highest robot density worldwide. As things stand now (2021), around 381,000 industrial robots will be installed worldwide each year. This means that the number of industrial robots installed globally has more than tripled in the period from 2019 to 2021 (Source IFR/ International Federation of Robotics).
The industry has therefore been growing and changing for years, and offers new potential. Startups have long since recognized this. Because robots are easier and less expensive to implement, they have made the leap from large corporations to medium-sized businesses. To this end, robot manufacturer ABB conducted an industry survey in the US, Europe and China. Out of a total of 1,650, 84% of small and medium-sized businesses said they planned to introduce robotics into their business and production in the near future. One industry in which robotics technologies have already successfully established themselves is, first and foremost, the automotive industry. This sector now accounts for a quarter of global robot sales. But gradually, robotic technologies are increasingly being used in industries that have only recently been digitized. These include the food and beverage industry, the textile industry, and the manufacturing wood and plastics industries. In addition, robots will be used in numerous other sectors, such as the household industry, the agricultural industry, the construction industry, or flexibly as a robot-as-a-service model. (source: ABB)
At this point, we would like to give an overview of trends and technologies that are currently moving the robotics industry. A central trend here is the topic of interactive human-robot collaboration, or the development of so-called cobots. They differ in some respects from the traditional, now obsolete industrial robots. These entailed high acquisition costs and complex process integration. In addition, they were not very flexible in their functions and lacked sensitivity. Cobots, on the other hand, can do this, are mobile and equipped with an almost human sense of touch. This makes interactive learning and cooperation between humans and robots possible. This allows them to take on certain tasks independently. The trend is for traditional industrial robots to be supplemented and gradually replaced by cobots.
Another keyword is connectivity. Here, the Internet of Things offers the possibility of using robots in many areas. IoT is often combined with AI, because today’s robots are becoming smarter and smarter. Through the further development of artificial intelligence, complex voice bots are now possible or efficient analyses in retail. Other application areas for AI include quantum computing, drones or cybersecurity. So among the most exciting trends moving the robotics industry right now are the topics of cobots, IoT and artificial intelligence.
Robotics startup case study: Franka Emika
An exciting example from the field of human-robot collaboration is the startup Franka Emika. Their vision: robots as universally accessible multifunctional tools. To realize this, they developed lightweight, sensitive and fast cobots that take only a few minutes to program. It is workflow-oriented and based on seamless interactions between humans and robots. The startup’s solution quickly became successful and achieved the fastest return of investment on the market. Moreover, it can be implemented in companies simply and without much effort. In addition to robot development, the young company also operates its own platform, FrankaHub. The startup’s partners include large corporates as well as SMEs, such as TQ-Systems Group, Amtest Group, Arend Prozess Automation GmbH, Bot-Hive, Cretec GbmH and the technology group Voith. In the meantime, they have been able to expand their cooperation network to Germany, the UK, China, Canada, the EU and Turkey. Franke Emika GmbH was awarded the German Future Prize for its “Panda” lightweight robot.
Robotics startup case study: Kewazo
Munich-based startup Kewazo has grown to a team of 21 employees since its founding in 2016. Meanwhile, their robotics technology is successfully applied in the ConstructionTech sector. The solution optimizes construction logistics on site by analyzing data. It starts at the scaffolding assembly and makes it more efficient and cheaper. For this, they have used their intelligent Liftbot, which provides more safety and flexibility in construction, as well as 44% less labor costs. The scope of the Liftbot is mainly in the construction industry, but it has also been successfully used in the process industry, shipbuilding and material handling.
Robotics startup case study: Wandelbots
Also very successful with its robot technology is the startup Wandelbots. This was founded by employees of the TU Dresden. The startup’s headquarters are still located there. They also cooperate in Volkswagen’s transparent factory as part of the car manufacturer’s production. Wandelbots has developed solution for simple robot programming based on interactive learning. By means of intelligent clothing, the movements to be learned by the robot can be executed and the robot can thus be programmed without great effort. Wandelbots CEO Christian Pienicke tells us more about the cooperation with Volkswagen in an interview with Ambivation.
Cooperation example: Sevensense Robotics AG and Deutsche Bahn
A successful cooperation example between a company and a robotics startup is the collaboration between Sevensense Robotics AG and Deutsche Bahn. This took place as part of a hundred-day startup program that Deutsche Bahn had advertised through its Mindbox Startup Hub. Together with two other young companies from the robotics industry, Sevensense Robotics AG was able to deploy its technology at Deutsche Bahn.
With Mindbox, Deutsche Bahn offers both a platform, a co-working space and a startup program to support young companies. The aim of the Mindbox Startup Hub is to generate added value by using the innovative ideas of the startups in bswp. in sales, customer interaction, internal processes and maintenance work and to drive digitalization there. Here, DB offers a hundred-day program in several categories where startups can deploy, validate and improve their solutions. One of these categories is the field of robotics, among others. In addition to the hundred-day startup program, German Railways also regularly issues startup calls with which they seek specific solutions for concrete needs.
The Swiss startup Sevensense was founded in 2018 as a spin-off of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich. With their solution, Sevensense Robotik AG has developed a method to make service robots more autonomous and mobile. Using artificial intelligence, motion sensors and computer vision, they enable the robot to navigate itself in indoor and outdoor environments. Motion sensors help avoid collisions with both static and dynamic objects. The technology is based on a plug-and-play module that can be easily installed.
The collaboration between Sevensense Robotik AG and Deutsche Bahn took place as part of the DB Mindbox Startup Hub. Here, Sevensense participated in a 100-day proof of concept program, in which they developed a concept to optimally integrate their solution into the processes of the German railroad. For example, the startup’s AI-based solution was used to support maintenance staff with automatically generated inspection reports. For this, a combination of visual inspection, hardware and Deep Learning was used. In another application area of the German railroad, the robot was able to use its camera technology to help identify and deliver pieces of luggage.
After these concrete case studies of robotics startups, we would like to take this opportunity to provide a compact overview of other young companies in the industry that you should definitely keep an eye on.
The future of the robotics industry
In a press release, the International Federation of Robotics predicted as an outlook for 2021 that global sales of robots will increase by an average of 14%. So in the robotics industry, all signs point to the future. Startups have already recognized this and can exploit potential here accordingly and generate added value. Through cooperation with companies, the entire industry can benefit from this. The pioneer here is the automotive industry, which is already successfully cooperating with startups.
But other industries are now slowly but surely being opened up by means of robot technology. The logistics sector, for example: while the use of robotics has been rather hesitant here so far, experts believe that demand for logistics and picking robots will increase, especially after the Corona pandemic. In addition, the use of robotics also offers some added value in terms of sustainability and climate protection. This is a topic that will become increasingly relevant in the future. So an increase is also to be expected here. In the healthcare sector, an increase in digitalization and robotics can also be expected. Here, too, there are new opportunities for startups to create added value through their innovations.
About Ambivation
Ambivation connects innovative companies and startups for cooperation and innovation partnerships. As an innovation consultancy and matchmaker, Ambivation promotes cooperation between established companies and startups within the framework of concrete customer, supplier and research partnerships. We support companies in the identification of needs, startup identification, startup evaluation and cooperation initiation with startups. Formats such as research on relevant startups, startup monitoring, strategic cooperation consulting or event formats such as startup tours serve this purpose. Our monthly newsletter also provides information on current examples of cooperation and events.
